


A Heavy Crown

by ADancingPanda



Series: Champion Brothers [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad British Accents, Blood and Gore, Blue has one braincell and is oblivious, Both Leon and Hop Have Issues, Child Favortism, Galar-chihou | Galar Region (Pokemon), Gen, Lack of Communication, Major Character Injury, Minor Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red, Near Death Experiences, Pokemon Death, Red's a protective and quiet boi, Selectively Mute Red (Pokemon), Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:06:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25457476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADancingPanda/pseuds/ADancingPanda
Summary: Galar watches as a star rises high above, bright and promising, as a new chapter in history unfolds.Galar also watches that same star fizzle out and implode in on itself when a new threat to the region rears its head.Hop becomes the Champion, and deals with all the external and internal problems with it.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Hop
Series: Champion Brothers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1865989
Comments: 35
Kudos: 30





	1. A Star Rises

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first time posting a story not just on here, but in general. Any criticisms, general feedback, or even flames are welcomed!

For exactly five seconds straight, silence followed the thump of Charizard’s body as it slammed onto the grassy field. Up on the scoreboard that overlooked the stadium, a bold-lettered “Critical Hit!” flashed next to the portrait of Charizard’s opponent, Intelleon.

The silence was broken as the orange and cream-bellied lizard warped back into its Pokéball in a flash of white light. Leon stared down at the now-occupied ball in a blank stupor before he pulled down the rim of his hat; the grin spreading across his face conveyed what his eyes could not. He tossed the hat into the air as confetti began raining down the arena. Cheers erupted from the audience and nearly drowned out the sound of Leon’s laugh.

He casted his gaze towards his opponent and their Pokémon, both of whom still stood slack-jawed over their victory. It wasn’t until the former Champion spoke over the roar of the crowd that the Intelleon gave an elated croak and turned towards his partner.

“My time as Champion is over…but what a champion time it’s been! You started this journey as a fledgling trainer with Sobble at your side, and now you stand here the newest Champion Galar has seen in ten years!” A crinkle appeared around the edges of Leon’s eyes as he spread his arms out in an inviting embrace. “You’ve come a long way…Hop.”

Tears pricked Hop’s eyes, eventually cascading down his dark face in fat droplets. The next thing he knew, he found himself in his older brother’s strong arms with Intelleon’s cool and slimy arms around both of them. In the moment, he heard not the chanting of his name by friends and strangers alike; he saw not the faces of twins Victor and Gloria, Sonia, Professor Magnolia – all of whom stood by him every step of his adventure – but instead heard Leon’s quiet assurances and saw his brother’s own teary face gaze down at him as if he was Galar’s greatest treasure.

“L-Lee…I…I…d-did I just w-w…” Hop fumbled through his words like his tongue had suddenly grown thick and numb. “C-Can’t believe…” He stopped to give a watery chuckle and wipe away the wetness on his cheeks. “I can’t b-believe it…I…I’m t-the Champion?” He turned towards the spectators, waving to them as he kept his other arm slung around Leon’s midriff.

“I did it. I-I’m the Champion!” Another wave of cheering reverberated throughout the stadium. Leon hoisted the boy onto his broad shoulders, shifting to address the crowd as well.

“People of Galar! A new legend has been born today! It’s my greatest honor to give this prestigious title to my one and only little bro, Hop! With his strength, I bet you all can’t wait to see what kind of bright future he brings for all of us!”

* * *

“Oof, it’s kinda heavy, Lee. Are you sure you had to wear this when you were crowned Champion?” asked Hop as he lifted the royal red and gold-trimmed cape off his shoulders with some effort.

Leon took the cape back with a lop-sided smile and draped it over one of the benches in the locker room. Between the throngs of fans stopping them for selfies, every one of gym leaders swearing fealty to the new champion, and their mother hugging the dear life out of them, it took some time for the brothers to escape the spotlight.

“Ah, well, you’ll grow into it soon, Hoppy. As for everything else, your sponsors will stop by later to measure you and get you outfitted properly.” Hop looked at the cape and the picture logos that far too many sponsorships had fought and paid for to be represented.

“Yeah, about that,” he began, rubbing the back of his head, “these sponsors, how do I- I mean, whenever I saw you do those special events with ‘em on the telly, it all seemed so…difficult and boring.” His brother clapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“No champ knows how to do these kind of things at the start. Chairman Rose taught me all the ins and outs of sponsorship, you know. And with my coaching, you’ll be reciting answers in your sleep by the time we get to the Glimwood Conservation charity.” Leon winked at him.

Before Hop could reply, a smooth baritone voice rang out from the opposite end of the locker room.

“Oi, there you both are. Everyone was wondering where the stars of the century had gone off to. Can’t blame a bloke though for needing a breather from all the noise and commotion.” Raihan stepped out from the shadows of the dimmed hall, hands stuffed in the pockets of his shorts.

Even through the closed doors, the dim chants and celebration from the lingering spectators filtered into the room.

“Rai!” Hop bounded over to him, “You’re gonna be my rival too now, right? I know Lee’s your one true rival, but you’ll still go for the championship next year, won’t you?” Raihan laughed in response and rubbed a knuckle against the boy’s scalp, causing Hop to squirm and giggle.

“Of course, kid. You better not slack off on your training just because your big bro’s not the champion anymore.” Raihan nudged an elbow towards the door. “Speaking of which…hate to interrupt a brotherly bonding session, but I wanted to have a quick word with Lee.”

Leon caught his rival’s side-glance and nodded. “Why don’t you go find Gloria and Victor, Hop? I’m sure they and the others will want to celebrate your victory with you.”

Hop stared at the two briefly before nodding and waved at them as he left.

“Meet you back at the house, Lee. Make sure he doesn’t get lost on the way, Rai!”

The door shut behind the boy’s retreating back. Raihan shook his head and chuckled before turning to face Leon. The man himself left his gaze lingering towards the door leading out, and although his smile never wavered as if painted on his face, his eyes told that he wasn’t entirely in the present.

“Hey,” Raihan kept his voice low to not startle Leon and was rewarded when the latter blinked bygone memories away and refocused, “How are you holding up, man? Can’t imagine losing a ten-year win streak’s easy, even if it’s to family.”

Leon shrugged. “Better…than I thought, actually. I’m so proud of Hop. He’s come such a long way and – to be honest, I’d rather have you or him become Champion over anyone else.”

He noticed the other’s self-satisfied smirk.

“You’re getting sentimental in your old age, Leon,” said Raihan with a grin, “but I guess flattery’ll get you everywhere. Anything else on your mind, mate?”

Leon’s smile took on an almost razor-sharp quality, similar to the one he showed to the public during broadcasted events. It wasn’t particularly unkind, just that it looked as though it could easily fall apart under a harsh glare.

‘He’s with me, not with fans. So why…?’ Raihan trailed off with that thought.

“No, not really. Why, are you getting sentimental too, old man?” As soon as Leon’s expression became brittle, it had relaxed once more and lost its edge. He poked a finger into his friend’s ribs.

Raihan slung a lanky arm around the other’s shoulders and slowly, they drifted towards the exit.

“Hey, we’re the same age and – nah, forget it. Listen, how about you and I grab a pint or two after the stadium clears out? The Meowth’s Paw down Everstone Street sells some bangin’ seafood.”

Leon shifted in his vice grip but made no effort to break free.

“I dunno, Rai…what about Hop? And how am I going to get home?”

“The kid’s already thirteen, for Arceus’ sake. If he could travel all the way to Wyndon to challenge you, then he can wait at home without any adult supervision. ‘Sides, I wouldn’t dream of dumping you in the middle of an empty street, sloshed, at two in the morning and risk earning your brother’s ire. His Dubwool has a real mean head-butt from what I heard.”

* * *

Leon stood alone in his bathroom at two in the morning, naked from the waist up, and gripped the sides of the counter to stop himself from swaying on the spot.

Bits and pieces of the night filtered through his muddled brain such as stumbling home from the pub with Raihan, bidding him goodnight, checking in on a sleeping Hop, and somehow losing the top of his uniform in the whole process.

One thing he remembered perfectly clear was that he always steered the conversation away from himself, no matter how many pints of lager he downed. Raihan had accepted the diversion without questioning it and kept the conversation light.

‘Funny, for a bloke who couldn’t go ten seconds without boasting that he _was_ the undefeatable Champion,’ he thought.

‘A has-been.’

He banished the thought at once. No, he was still important. The people of Galar still adored him and Hop would need a mentor to guide him.

‘He won’t need you eventually.’

Leon cursed and slapped his head, causing him to almost fall into the sink face-first. He still had Raihan, Sonia, and his mum...

‘They’ll leave you too.’

His fans…

‘Superficial. They’ll forget you.’

‘You’ll be alone forever.’

His lungs burning, he swallowed a shaky but deep breath of air. He stared into the yawning and ever darkening abyss of his reflection: streams of sweat clumped strands of his hair together and welts and scabs from the fight with Eternatus adorned his body like blotchy red tattoos.

Leon swore again and slammed a fist onto the counter top twice only to hiss as daggers shot up his arm. The marble surface remained intact, but he had another bruise to add to his collection. He cradled his hand and waited if the commotion had woken Hop, but no sound came from the room adjacent to his.

‘Breathe, Leon. Breathe just like Rose taught you,’ he thought to himself. With every inhale and shuddering exhale, he felt his heartbeat slow to a steadier pace.

‘Smile big for the camera.’ His mouth stretched upwards into a familiar angle. It was the same one he showed to Raihan earlier. Everything seemed perfect, almost. Golden eyes that would shine brilliantly at crowds now looked back in the mirror dead.

‘Look like you adore them, Leon.’ He was getting better at sounding like Chairman Rose. No matter how he positioned his smile or made his eyes light up, none of it looked genuine.

So he tried again and again well into the night until he next awoke early morning slouched over the counter, head pounding and face aching.

Back in Hammerlocke City, Raihan was finishing up a three-way PokéTime call with Nessa and Sonia. The two women remained pensive as he explained the situation.

“So Hop doesn’t know what’s going on with Leon either, huh? The kid’s just as perceptive – runs in the family, I guess – but he probably adores his brother too much to notice it,” mused Sonia as she twirled a lock of bright orange hair.

“What about their mum, Raihan? Does she know?” asked Nessa. Raihan grunted and gave a curt shake of his head.

“Bah, she’d know if she stopped seeing them as Champions and more as her sons, yeah.” Sonia clicked her tongue and turned her eyes downcast.

“Poor kid…”

“Anyway, I’ll keep you both updated. I’ve let in on the other leaders but told them not to confront Leon about it.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and Raihan?”

“Yeah, Ness?”

“Get some damn sleep already. You’re falling off the couch.”


	2. Lonely at the Top

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad British and Scottish accents ahoy!

“What happened to your hand, Lee? Did’ya take a tumble or something?” asked Hop as he fidgeted and picked at his tailor-made black suit. Leon had assured him that he would only have to wear it every few years or so at special events, but that didn’t stop the coarse fabric from constantly rubbing against his skin or clinging to his small body.

Leon first glanced up from fixing his own bowtie, then down at the mottled red and dark blue bruise on the side of his hand.

“Oh, that…” He tilted his head. “Must’ve been when I went to the pub with Raihan the night of the championship. I think we argued about the best battling strategies and – well, you know how your big bro is when it comes to Pokémon battles! Probably would’ve ended up challenging him too if the owner hadn’t made me pay for the table I broke with my fist.” Hop’s mouth twitched as one who tried so valiantly to suppress their laughter would. He gave in anyway and had a good chuckle at his brother’s expense.

“Hope it was worth it then.”

A young man with hunched shoulders and perpetually furrowed eyebrows stuck his head through the crack of the doorway. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, cleared his throat, and tried again.

“Excuse me, but the stage is ready for you both.” While Leon flashed his famous thousand-watt grin, Hop turned a lighter pallor of brown and tugged at his neatly made bowtie. On their way out, Leon clapped the man’s shoulder, which made the other wince.

“Thanks!” Leon gave him a wink before heading out. Hop nodded towards the man and hurried after his brother. The stagehand watched the two of them briskly walk down the hallway leading to the stage. Hop had to jog just to keep with Leon’s stride. The teen caught up and reached out to hold the end of his sleeve before jerking his hand back, silently reprimanding himself. He wasn’t the same six-year old child who would hide in his brother’s warm embrace as their grandfather told scary stories.

If everyone saw him clinging to his older brother like a security blanket, they would lose faith in him as their new champion. More than that, he would disgrace Leon’s name and he swore to never do so again after losing against Bede. Hop swallowed every fear, every possibility that he would make a fool of himself on national television, and set his expression to what he hoped was neutral.

Pokémon battling in front of a live audience was one thing; then, he could lose himself in the heat of the battle and focus on defeating his opponent. Speeches, though? The only thing he would be able to focus on would be how his voice cracked and his palms sweated. Leon told him that he wouldn’t have to talk much though, just give a short speech on how he hoped to better Galar for future generations.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the reigning Champion and our beloved former Champion of ten years: Hop and Leon!” The announcer’s welcoming reverberated throughout the open stadium as both brothers stepped out into the blinding sunlight and to the expecting gazes of fans. Leon caught the way Hop stuck close to his side and gave the boy’s back a gentle pat. When he looked up at him, the older brother flashed a winning grin and a wink. Hop’s eyes lit up and, with a renewed vigor in his step, walked with him to the center of the stage.

They performed Leon’s signature Charizard pose, head turned to the side and arm thrust into the air. In response, the crowd roared and waved.

* * *

_Four years later…_

“Corviknight, Drill Peck!”

The towering raven, sharp feathers bathed in obsidian steel, let out a mighty screech and dove towards its foe. Sharp beak met flesh and the Machamp grunted as it attempted to fend off the attack.

“Machamp, counter it with Thunder Punch!” The four-armed bipedal Pokémon nodded, rearing its upper left arm as electricity began to crackle around the fist.

Machamp’s fist collided with the raven’s puffy chest. Corviknight squawked and twitched from the burning sensation spreading throughout its durable yet still very avian body.

“You got this, Corviknight! One more Drill Peck!” As best as it could, it shook off the paralysis and dove once more, this time attacking in a desperate, frenzied manner. Machamp buckled from the onslaught and eventually toppled over in a motionless heap. Bea recalled her fainted Pokémon, whispering a small thanks to her trusted partner, and turned to bow to her human opponent as he returned Corviknight as well. Cheers and applause came from the sidelines where the gym leaders and the Postwick twins sat. A few bystanders had even wandered amidst the cries of Pokémon and sounds of battling.

“Thank you for letting me test my mettle against you, Champion Hop. It seems that I must train harder if I wish to compete against you in the next Champion Cup,” she said. Although her voice was even, her striking gray eyes lit up in a rare smile. Hop returned the bow, having the grace to look humble in his close victory. Both had been down to their last Pokémon.

‘Guess I’ll have to up my training too if I want to keep my title…’ There was no shame, he reasoned, in nearly losing to a trainer and martial artist as disciplined as Bea. As their Champion, though, he knew he had to stay a couple steps ahead or risk getting dethroned.

“Thanks as well, Bea. I hope we can train again soon.” Bea nodded and went to pack up her belongings. With the bi-monthly Pokémon League picnic and battle test done, the others began to take their leave but not before commending the two trainers for a magnificent match.

“Great show as always, mate. Thought she had ye cornered fer a wee sec there. Vic here was holdin’ onto his beanie so tight I thought he was gonna tear it in two! Int that right, Vic?” asked Gloria as she prodded at her twin brother with her elbow. Victor rolled his eyes and swatted the limb away.

“’ts only a tiny rip, Sis,” he muttered before turning to address Hop, “Almost forgot…Leon wanted to send his congrats on a great battle. He asked Glo to record the match fer him ‘n promised he would come to the next one.” The champ shrugged and pursed his lips while scuffing at the dirt with the heel of his shoe.

“Yeah, Lee sent a quick text before the battle just in case. Kinda figured something important popped up…” Hop didn’t mention that Leon had promised to attend the last outing as well before having to opt out. It wasn’t as though his brother had retired after losing his title, anyway. The man was far busier now that he was the new chairman of the Galar Pokémon League.

“Heard from Gordie that yer bro’s gonna welcome some two hotshots from a faraway region. One’s a professor and ex-gym leader and the other doesn’t talk much but is well legendary at battles,” said Gloria, her hands clenched into fists and a hot fire brewed behind narrowed eyes, “Maybe I’ll take a crack at him meself ‘n see if he’s worth the hype!”

While Victor’s field of interest involved studying Pokémon in their natural habitats, which made him the perfect apprentice to Sonia, his twin found her call in competitive battling and effective strategic planning to win those matches. Like Hop and other aspiring trainers, she participated in the league challenge. Unlike them, she had dropped out after the eighth and final gym. When asked why in an interview, she told them point blank that she only wanted to battle trainers, not be stuck at the top “lookin’ pretty fer ye dobbers”.

Hop perked up from his thoughts at the mention of a potential challenger. He made a mental note to ask Leon for more details about the newcomers later. The twins excused themselves, looking to pester Piers and Marnie.

Hop was stuck in that awkward social situation where he was invited to a group, but had no one else to talk to. He hung on the outskirts of the circle, watching Kabu and Melony chat while Gordie showed off the new Gigalith he trained up to Milo. Off to the distance, he saw Allister and Bea sharing a pastry. Only Bede acknowledged him any further, giving him a cool eye and a nod.

'It's fine, it's getting late anyway.' He looked at the setting sun. Since Leon couldn't make it, he had no choice but to cancel the dinner reservation. Maybe he could order takeout back at his brother's place. Hands in his pocket, Hop walked home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments, concerns, or kudos are welcomed!


	3. In the Shadow of Giants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Gaslighting, Child Favortism, and minor Pokémon injury

“They don’t…like me?” Hop stared at the league councilman in unblinking disbelief. The black-suited man clasped and rubbed his hands together while averting the gaze of the Champion.

“Well, it’s not – I mean, sort of. You see, Champion Hop, a recent polling by the people suggested that you’re not…as influential as your brother. They think that by using the same poses, the same team every year, you’re attempting to ride on the fame of Mr. Leon…not to mention that Dubwool…well, you know, isn’t considered a strong or cool Pokémon by any means…”

When he chanced a peek, he found Hop’s expression bereft of emotion: a stone mask, and that only caused him to look away faster.

“I see. Does my brother know about this?”

“He…was the one who asked me not to tell you personally. It’s just, well, our ratings are dropping…” Hop made what he hoped was a soothing smile; the other’s reaction suggested he failed.

“Please, don’t worry about it. That just means I have to work on promoting my own identity to the public. Gives me something to do, right? I guess I should go consult with the Chairman before he decides to hide anything else from me,” he said, the last sentence coming out more callous than he intended. The councilman nodded without complaint and slunk away after pardoning himself. Hop wandered the broad, brick arched hallways of the league headquarters situated near Wyndon Stadium.

He was so lost in thought that he bumped into a figure a head taller than him when he turned a corner. He found himself nearly eye-to-eye with his startled brother.

“Pardon me, I didn’t see you -- Hop? I thought you were training with Gloria today. What brings you here so early in the week, little bro?” asked Leon.

Having ditched his battle uniform, opting for a rich crimson tailcoat and a fancy cravat instead. He belonged more to a regency ball than a glorified office but that didn’t stop Hop from admiring how suave he looked.

“They – I mean, the league council called me in. Said it was pretty important too.”

“Why would they bring you in now? The next meeting’s slated for the fourth and they would’ve told me if…” Leon stopped mid-sentence, the gears in his head almost visibly turning. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “One of them told you about the ratings, didn’t they?” Hop gave a weak nod, only perking up when his brother patted him on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry I kept it from you. I thought it was just a miscalculation or a minority but then ratings started dropping and there were those nasty comments on Pidgeotter. I didn’t want you to get disheartened.”

“It’s fine, Lee, you don’t need to apologize. Something like this won’t get me down for long! I just need to find a way to make myself stand out more” He purposefully inflated his voice and forced a wide smile so his brother would stop frowning at him so worriedly.

“That’s the spirit! You always remain strong even when things get tough. Galar will soon see what a great Champion you are.”

Hop’s grin remained in place for Leon’s sake, for his sake. Stay strong, no matter what; put on a smile: he had adopted that mantra when he took the mantle. Lee had done it and so could he.

“I have an idea. I’ll be done with work in a couple of hours, and then after dinner, we can practice some new poses or go over team formation. How’s that sound?” An indirect apology for having to skip dinner the last time – Hop appreciated the sentiment. He wouldn’t get his hopes up though. Last time wasn’t the first time his brother was yanked around by the council and the league staff, fulfilling requests, making sure everything was in order for the next Champion Cup…the Chairman was, and Hop could attest to it, a man who rarely said no to the needs of others. It just didn’t bode well for any scheduled plans.

It was a pleasant surprise, then, that Leon came home exactly when he said he would, with a box of Kantoian takeout in hand.

* * *

He looked up at the plaques and statues that adorned the living room of his family home. From the left, Leon’s awards from primary school – perfect attendance, perfect grades, and perfect student – hung with a dull sheen after many years. Ten years’ worth of trophies from defending his title lined up in a neat row on the shelf below. They looked to be well-taken care of, the dust having been brushed off, making the top of the golden pokéball glint in the light.

The trophies next to Leon’s gave him pause. Those were his, emblazoned with his name and the years that he successfully remained champion.

He craned his head back up to look at Leon’s school medals and realized that his own were hung right next to them. He remembered he ran home that day, nearly collided with his Wooloo upon turning a corner, and presented the paper award for Best Student with all the energy his child body could muster. His mother had patted his head and promised to put it up right away.

When had those showed up? Perhaps he simply hadn’t been paying attention until now.

“Mum?” Hop called out to the dining room where his mother was wiping down the dark wood table. She set down the towel. “Have these, uh, always been here?”

“Of course, dear. You don’t remember? Your Grandad and I make sure that all of our visitors see what my two boys have done! Oh, if your father was still here, he’d be so proud of you…” She padded over, looking at the collection as if they were famous works of art.

“I mean, I’ve always seen Lee’s awards but–” Dahlia placed her delicate hands on both sides of her son’s cheeks and gave them a light squeeze, which caused the rest of the sentence to be muffled.

“Hoppykins,” she started in a familiar cooing tone, “Do you doubt your dear old mother? You’ve passed by this wall every day and now you noticed? Well, when you have a wonderful brother like Leon, you tend to focus on his accomplishments more.” She stared at him – _through him?_ – with bright, crinkled eyes.

“Of course, mum.”

“You haven’t gotten complacent, have you? You need to be in top form for the upcoming competitors. Be like your big brother, dear; he never rested on his laurels.”

Hop said nothing.

“Once you defend your title again, we should all have a celebration. A milestone – five more years and you’ll tie with Leon!” Dahlia rambled on, and he felt his mind slipping away, her words becoming slurred and unintelligible.

And then, he jolted out of a dream-like state. His mother hadn’t spoken in a minute and only now called his name. His body became numb, his color paled, and sweat gathered at his temples. She seemed to notice as she rested a hand to his forehead to search for some ailment.

Was he going insane if he was substituting his mother’s words with his own thoughts?

“Hop dear, are you feeling well? You haven’t been overstressing yourself, have you?”

“No, I-I…I’m sorry m-mum, just feeling a little tired is all. I should go to bed…” He excused himself without waiting for a response and hurried off towards his room.

As he lay in bed after giving up for the umpteenth time to drift off into sleep, a memory started to resurface after years spent buried in the recesses of his mind. Fragmented pieces came together bit by bit.

He, during his sixth summer, stumbled into his mother’s closet when playing hide-and-seek with his Wooloo. Sitting in a dusty, filthy heap were all of the awards and medals he had earned in school.

* * *

“Don’t forget you need to knock it over in one blow, got it, Edie?” Hop’s Dubwool, Edelweiss, baaed softly in response and aligned himself with the target dummy. Said dummy was constructed out of dozens of rocks and layers of burlap to form a giant, crude Druddigon shape.

“Alright, use Headbutt!” he ordered, jutting a finger out. Edie dipped his head, horns at the forefront, and charged towards the target. The blunt side of the horns struck true but did nothing but make the rocks inside the dummy rattle. Hop shook his head and muttered to himself while he raked a hand through short lavender hair.

“No, no, if we’re up against an opponent like a Tauros or a Beartic, we can’t afford to let them get a hit in…” He pointed ahead. “Headbutt, again!”

Edie nodded and, after taking a deep breath, pushed himself to gain more momentum than last time. The force of the attack shifted the target but still it did not topple over.

“C’mon, Edie! I know you’re stronger than this. Be like Diablo; he’d knock his opponent out in one turn easy!” The Dubwool bristled at that. Why did his trainer want him to be like Corviknight? Hadn’t he always said that he didn’t want Edie to be like Leon’s Charizard or any Pokémon other than himself?

Again, Edie tried to please his human companion despite the soreness in his knees and his lungs heaving with each attempt.

“Mega Kick!” A wobble. “Again!” Another wobble. And another, and another, until…

“Damn it! Use Double-Edge, now!” Edie gave a soft bleat, teetering slightly, and steeled himself for one more attack. He barreled forward, his bleat turning into a cry.

A sharp thwack resounded in the air and after a split second of wobbling, the target dummy fell forward, and alongside it, Edie. The sheep Pokémon landed on the grass, gave a weak baa, and remained still. Only the rise and fall of his body showed he hadn’t expired from exhaustion.

“Oh Arceus…Edie? Edie!” Hop nearly flew over to his partner’s side, his hands shaking as he fumbled in his pack for medicine. “Hang in there Edie, I’m so sorry, please, please don’t…” He pulled out a Full Restore and sprayed it over the Dubwool’s round body. The result was instantaneous. Edie stirred and opened black rectangular pupils while a sheep’s equivalent to a groan rumbled in his throat. Hop crumbled there, grabbing his Pokémon’s pillowy fleece in a wide embrace and clung to it like a blanket as he babbled in a frenzy. Tear droplets landed in the fur where it soaked up.

“Edie, ‘m so sorry, I s-sh…s-shouldn’t have pushed you so hard…” Edie bleated. “I-I know…I shouldn’t have c-compared you to Diablo either.” Hop wiped his eyes and nose and composed himself as best he could before speaking again. “I hear what they say about you and me: that…that I’m a weak trainer compared to Lee and w-weaker for having a Dubwool on my team. I know they’re wrong so that’s why I pushed you so hard. It’s no excuse though for what I did to you, Edie,” mumbled Hop with his face still partially buried in the wool.

Edie reached over and licked his cheek before butting his head lightly against Hop’s. His trainer laughed, a watery half-sob choked noise that nonetheless drifted like a healing melody for both of them.

“Is that your way of saying ‘I’m forgiven’ and ‘I’m an idiot’? ‘cuz if so, I sure feel like one.” Hop nestled further into the fur, using it as an impromptu pillow, and started to drift off. Edie moved his neck as much as he could so his chin rested on Hop’s shoulder. It wasn’t until a while later that Edie awoke to a familiar figure who brought a finger up to his lips. Instead of moving his trainer, the man covered them both with a long red tailcoat. Feeling warmer than before, Edie dozed off once more after curling around Hop.

* * *

Hop groaned and flopped to the other side when the earliest strands of morning light crept onto his face. Edie, previously tucked under his lanky arms, stirred at the absence of heat but merely rolled so that he instead leaned against his trainer’s back. They settled in again, all dream-addled mumbling ceased and only the rhythmic warbling of Rookidees and Pidoves remained.

“Brzzzt! Incoming call from: Caller Unknown! Incoming call from: Caller Unknown!” His Rotom phone burst to life from his birch nightstand and leapt off to hang above the bed midair.

Hop sat up, rubbed his sleep-crusted eyes, and mumbled an affirmative with a flick of his wrist. The screen changed to an icon of a silhouetted person and the words ‘Caller Unknown’ at the top. For a few seconds, the line was static.

“Champion Hop, a pleasure to be finally talking to you. I sincerely hope your morning hasn’t been disturbed,” a rich, deep voice drawled from the other end. The tone spoke pleasantries. Hop knew, but there was an underlying threat should he respond incorrectly – a dagger dripping with honeyed venom behind his back.

“Who’s calling?” asked Hop. He was careful to mask the yawn that nearly escaped.

“That is unimportant. All you need to know is that you have Pokémon that I am looking for, ones that I wish to add to my collection.” A Pokémon collector, or known as a Pokémaniac in some circles? Hop felt a twinge of irritation in the form of an oncoming headache.

“If that’s all, I can set up an meeting time so we can trade and-“

“I want Zacian and Eternatus.”

His brain short-circuited, his thoughts paused for a moment. He glanced at the ring of Pokéballs resting on his desk, the middle holding one half of Galar’s fabled wolf duo. Eternatus, deemed too dangerous to control, was kept within the bowels of Hammerlocke Stadium, and guarded under lock and key and by hourly patrols.

“This a joke, mate? Who set you up to this?” Raihan did always have a wicked sense of humor, that one. The man on the other line chuckled lowly, void of any mirth. He then sighed.

“Your acquaintances remain ignorant, rest assured. I am acting on my own accord, Champion.”

“Well, you’d be daft if you want them, especially Eternatus. They’re not playthings and they can't be controlled.”

“That is not for you to worry about. I have my own means of harnessing their power. If you do not comply, I have an army at my disposal that can…ahem, persuade you.”

Hop felt his lips curling downward at the obvious threat and despite the fact that the man couldn’t see him, he balled his hands into fists.

“Doesn’t change a damn thing.”

“Pity. Should you change your mind, go to the outskirts of Spikemuth and look for a man dressed in black with an ‘R’ logo.”

At that, the line cut off and the screen switched back to the lock screen. Hop had a sudden urge to throw the phone across the room and would’ve if he had it in his hand. The Rotom, as if sensing his intention, moved away and flew onto his desk where the Pokéballs were. He scrubbed at his eyes again and made a frustrated, inarticulate sound.

Edie nudged his trainer’s hand and baaed when he received a pat on the head.

“‘E’s just talking outta his arse…no need to worry…” He reassured himself and the Dubwool. Downstairs, he could hear the telltale sounds of a pan sizzling atop a stove and the shuffling of feet followed by the aroma of bacon wafting up the stairs.

“Hop, breakfast’s ready!” Leon shouted out. Softer, he called for his Pokémon team to gather around for their own meals. Hop slid out of bed with Edie following on his heels. He grabbed his Pokéballs and patted the Rotom phone in a show of goodwill.

At the top of the stairs, he contemplated whether to tell Leon of the strange call. Would his brother overreact and lose sleep over it? He thought back to the sleepless nights where he found Leon over a mound of paperwork, the pen nearly falling from his fingers as he struggled to remain upright.

‘No, Lee’s busy enough as it is. I shouldn’t burden him with something that might not even worth worrying about…’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell your brother about a threatening call? Nah.


	4. Visitors From Kanto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some light-hearted shenanigans between Galar's trainers and Kanto's legends.

It was early morning, and the Wyndon Stadium conference hall was already crowded with gym leaders, league staff, VIP fans, and reporters. Leon stood in the middle of the room as he entertained a large group with a story while Hop lingered off to the side with the twins, Bede, and Marnie.

“Yer all ready for the meet ‘n greet, Hop?” asked Marnie with the same calm, aloof air that she normally exuded. At her side, her Morpeko gazed about the room with a toothy smile and chittered occasionally.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to meet them!” Hop pumped a fist in the air, already limbering up, “If I get lucky, I can battle one of them after the event’s over!” He barely slept a wink last night, but the prospect of a promising battle drove away the grogginess.

“Well, don’t occupy all of their time, Champion. I would like the opportunity as well,” quipped Bede.

“Aye, me too!” Gloria had that fire and twinkle in her eyes and her fingers brushed against the Pokéballs clipped onto her belt. Victor shrugged.

“Ye know me…I’ll stay oot of this one. The guest’s who’s a professor, though, I could learn somethin’ from him.”

Without warning, the double wood oak doors slammed open, nearly hitting a trainer standing too close and startling everyone in the room.

“Bonjour, mates! Thanks for giving us the royal treatment and letting us stay here!”

Two young men stood in the light of the doorway. The one who spoke beamed and waved at the reporters as murmurs of “champion” and “Kanto” and the rapid clicks of cameras going off filled the hushed room.

The other stayed impassive and silent although he tipped his red and white hat to the crowd. From his shoulder, a round-faced Pikachu squeaked a greeting, following the first man’s example by waving. A chorus of coos and gasps of “the strongest Pikachu” rose from the people and a few reporters turned their cameras to the Pokémon.

“The name’s Blue. This guy here is Red. We were both Champions of the Kanto region some fifteen years ago. Nowadays, I’ve taken over Gramps position so he can enjoy retirement and Red’s a wandering trainer looking to battle strong opponents. We both came here to study the local Pokémon and Dynamaxing. So, any questions?” asked Blue as he leaned slightly to the side with a hand on a hip.

Instantly, a rush of questions melting into a cacophony poured from all sides. Journalists pushed against each other and fans peeked over the mass of heads to see their idols. Red inched closer to his friend, eyeing the shark-like gazes of the paparazzi with wariness. This didn’t go unnoticed.

“Professor, is it true that you were only Champion for fifteen minutes before Mr. Red defeated you?”

“Red, is your Pikachu truly in the top percentage of all Pikachu?”

“How were you able to take down Team Rocket all by yourself, Mr. Red?”

“Are you guys dating?”

Leon stepped up, quieting the throngs of busybodies and parting a path for him to walk up to the two Kantoians.

“Come now, everyone, surely you all can queue up and ask your questions one at a time,” he laughed, spreading out his arms, “but first, I should welcome you both to Galar! I do hope you’ll enjoy the sights here and stick around for the upcoming Gym Challenge!”

“Thanks, you’re Leon, right? I heard you were the unbeatable Champion for ten years. I bet ol’ Red here’s itching to fight you.” Blue nudged his partner, who smiled and nodded. “Heck, I’d like to take a crack too. If I see a strong trainer, I’m gonna want to fight them.”

“I’d be honored to have a match or two later with such renowned legends. And I _was_ the Champion, but my little bro holds that title now. Come on over here, Hop!” Leon, with a dramatic turn, beckoned for Hop to step forward.

Hop breathed deeply, muttering assurances to himself, and strode forth like how Leon did when facing an opponent on the field.

In what free time he had, he studied the Kanto region and the trainers that shaped it into a thriving tourist destination. Having seen the master dragon tamer Lance fight, he finally understood why Raihan admired him so. He had also watched old recorded battles of Red and Blue as they fought their way through the Elite Four and eventually, each other. While it was unfortunate that Blue had lost his title so quickly, he still remained the youngest to have ever been Champion in Kanto.

He even delved into Kanto’s neighbor country, Johto, and found its mythologies about a fiery phoenix and a subterranean dragon fascinating, not to mention the tale about the three legendary beasts reborn from normal Pokémon. Hop decided that he wanted to visit both regions in the near future.

“Nice to meet you, Champion. Red and I watched you two fight in the league finals on the flight over here. Gotta say, you have a good head on your shoulders and that cute looking Dubwool of yours packs a kick!” Hop blushed as he shook both trainers’ hands, thanking them for the praise. He was sure Edie would be tickled pink as well.

“I’ve watched videos of your matches too. I had no idea how strong Kantoian trainers are.” A light-bulb went off in his head and it seemed that Leon had the same idea for he nodded in encouragement when Hop looked at him. “Instead of a singles battle later, how about a doubles instead: Lee and I versus you and Red?”

A great clamor came from the crowd. Blue and Red locked eyes and made a decision.

“Deal!”

“And there you have it, folks!” a reporter exclaimed into a camera, “Two of our greatest stars and two of Kanto’s legends will be facing off in a doubles battle! Stay tuned for this momentous match later!”

Once the paparazzi had gotten their fill of Q&As from the guests – the one who had first asked whether Red and Blue were dating asked so again; Blue had turned bright red but didn’t deny it and Red pretended to not have heard the question – and the fans walked away with signatures and selfies, the room returned to a state of normalcy.

Leon’s Charizard and Red’s Charizard got acquainted while Red himself had taken notice of Marnie’s Morpeko. Pikachu leapt off his shoulder and dashed up to the rodent, greeting her with a wave of his paw and a squeak. The Morpeko chattered back and both delved into a long conversation privy to them and the other Pokémon.

“That’s a Morpeko,” Marnie said, “they’re known as th’ Two-Sided Pokémon. They’re cute ‘n all, but don’t be fooled. In battle, they can change into a mean purple critter ‘cuz they’re always ‘ungry.”

Red pulled out his own Rotom phone and scanned the Pokémon for information. He read the descriptions for Morpeko’s aptly named ‘Full Belly Mode’ and ‘Hangry Mode’. Its Hangry Mode form looked as nasty a beast as Marnie had described judging by the visual image of its slanted fully red eyes and snarl. Even then, Red knew he had to catch one of his own – perhaps he would have time later after the match?

“Yer Pikachu’s a cute one too. I’d reckon appearances are deceivin’ too since everyone’s sayin’ he’s the strongest Pikachu,” continued Marnie. Pikachu paused mid-speak and flashed her a bashful look and a happy chirp, and went back to telling a story with exaggerated gestures to an attentive Morpeko. Red smiled down at Pikachu with a sparkle in his eyes. He held a finger up and rummaged in his travel backpack for a Pokéball. He lightly tossed it and out popped what Marnie believed to be a second Pikachu at first. Upon inspecting it further, she realized that this second Pikachu was a Pokémon merely in the guise of one.

She noticed it’s scribbled in black eyes, its crooked colored mouth, a wood lightning bolt-shaped tail attached to the back, and tall oval eyes on where the stomach was. The mystery creature gurgled and hopped merrily, and Marnie’s heart melted at the sight of it. Even Morpeko welcomed the new addition to their group.

“Now then, never seen a little chap like ya before. Why’re ya hidin’ ‘neath that costume of yourn?” Marnie bent down to the Pikachu lookalike’s eye level and reached out with one hand to grip the bottom of the costume while the other remained on her knee. Just before she lifted up the rag, a hand shot out to block her.

“Don’t,” muttered Red just loud enough so she could hear him. His voice wasn’t hoarse from disuse as she thought, just a smooth and soft alto. He quickly pulled out his Rotom phone again to flip to a Pokédex entry and showed her it.

Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokémon, was a Ghost and Fairy type native to Alola that often wished to have the same popularity as Pikachu, hence the costume. They were a lonely species, with few friends and trainers willing to train them. A researcher once tried to look under a Mimikyu’s rag only to die from the sheer shock and terror of having seen its true form.

‘…Oh, that’s why he stopped me,’ she thought, glancing at the Mimikyu again in a new light. “Thanks fer the warnin’. Poor fella, he just wants some love so he hid himself. Yer a kind trainer to take him in, Mr. Red. I’d like to go to Alola someday to help one find a home too.” She patted the top of the fake head, the inside probably made out of straw and rope, which made the Mimikyu bounce once more.

On the opposite side of the room, Blue presented a Kantoian Persian and an Alolan Persian to Victor while the latter sent out the Galarian form of the cat. Unlike the first two Persian whom were clean-shaven and dainty, the other sported a tuft of fur that resembled a beard and hair-shaped horns protruded from its head. It gave a fierce war cry, causing its once-removed brethren to shrink back and hiss.

“Whoa, that Persian looks like a Viking! Heard about them in old tales when they and their masters invaded Galar. This guy’s from Alola.” Blue gestured down to the chubby, purple cat who settled down and started to lick its paws. “They live a pampered life so that’s why they look so different.”

“Interestin’ how Pokémon that learn to adapt to different environments change appearances ‘n even names…” Victor, his meek self, brightened at the prospect of learning more about his field of study. “Mr. Blue, I’m an assistant to Professor Sonia ‘n I’d like to learn more ‘bout Kanto and Alola Pokémon…if ya d-don’t mind, ‘course.”

“Of course I don’t mind!” Blue barked a laugh and clapped the younger man’s shoulder. “It’s not often I see such an interest in studying Pokémon. Here, lemme show you a Kantoian Rapidash and an Alolan Raichu…”

The sun had reached its peak in the sky when a chorus of beeps came from the gym leaders’, Hop’s, and Leon’s Rotom phones. Kabu took his out, pressed ‘Answer’, and the terror-stricken faces of his gym trainers squished into the small screen. They all started to talk at once and over each other, their yelling incoherent to the veteran gym leader.

“Calm down, you three, and tell what is going on,” he responded, his tone even and yet strict so that his trainers hushed into breathless mumbles. In the background, a faint roar and crash echoed throughout Motostoke Stadium, followed by the equally distant cries for help. To his right, he could hear Milo trying to reassure and command his own gym trainers.

“S-Sir, you gotta come d-down here quickly,” stammered one of the trainers that had taken the initiative, “there’s m-monsters destroying t-the city!”

“…What?” Even as he spoke, Kabu felt his feet taking him out of the building and into the high noon brightness. Eventually, everyone else followed suit.

A sizable crowd had gathered around a news screen ahead, showing several Pokémon too blurry to discern the species rampaging throughout Motostoke City, the plains near Turffield, and the Wild Area between Motostoke and Wedgehurst.

Hop forcibly tore his gaze away from the carnage and turned to address his entourage. His mouth set into a grim scowl, matching the mood that blanketed over them.

“Milo, take care of Turffield. Nessa, Bea, Victor and Gloria, and Allister, go with him. Melony, Gordie, Bede, Piers, and Marnie, you deal with the Wild Area. Everyone else: follow my lead!” The gym leaders and the twin nodded in assent. He shifted his attention to the two outliers: Red and Blue. “Will you join us too?”

“You bet. Red and I will split up and take the two cities. Red, you go to Motostoke. I’ll go to Turffield,” said Blue.

Red made a noise that sounded like a question. His disapproving stare bore holes into Blue.

“Hey, hey, I’ll be alright, big guy. Some rabid Pokémon won’t be a match for my team. I’ll meet you back here after, alright?” Blue smiled, a touch of fondness in his voice and expression. Red relented and went to join the Motostoke group. How Blue knew what the quiet Champion was thinking was anyone’s guess, Hop thought. He figured that if the two knew each other since childhood, though, then Blue would’ve picked up on non-verbal cues that other people would miss.

“Let’s go!” Those with flying Pokémon released them from their Pokéballs and those without climbed aboard. They took off, Hop’s Corviknight rivaling Leon’s Charizard in speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then things get worse...as always, kudos, comments, and criticisms are welcomed!


	5. Under Smoke and Acid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galar learns the terror of the extraterrestial monsters known as "Ultra Beasts".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Blood and Gore, Graphic and Minor Human and Pokémon Deaths, Character Injury
> 
> I wanted to emphasize the difference between Ultra Beasts and the way they fight/kill compared to normal Pokémon having a friendly battle like Hop vs. Bea. Like if Pokémon was more realistic or rated M.

Motostoke was alive with the screams of humans and Pokémon, with the acrid odor of smoke clogging those screams. Ace trainers and veterans had gathered to combat the advancing army, but for every enemy felled, their own Pokémon were either crushed, decapitated, or dissolved in acid.

Hop did a double take at the aggressive Pokémon, only…they didn’t look like Pokémon at all. One appeared to be an overgrown mosquito whose chest, arms, legs were grossly disproportionate to its insect head, like a bodybuilder that had taken steroids. There were others like it in the forefront, crushing their opponents.

Another was a wafer-thin star shaped piece of paper that twirled in the sky. Hop would’ve thought it harmless had it not swooped down and bisected a Conkledurr and sliced through a building cleanly with its deceptively sharp edges. Several of those made quick work of slower Pokémon.

The last creature was a lone dragon and insect hybrid that shot acid out of its massive stinger, drenching and burning whatever it touched. It also used it to stab anything that came close to it. Their army was small, but destructive.

He pushed any lingering questions about the nature of the monsters out of his head and prepared his Corviknight to dive into the chaos.

“Hop, behind me. These things are too dangerous.” Leon pulled up on his Charizard and for a second, a look of nausea passed over him as he saw the meaty skeleton of a person covered in venom and a girl who screamed and clutched at her arm where her skin had sloughed off. His brother scoffed.

“Diablo, Fly onto the first one!” The Corviknight bellowed a battle cry and nose-dived onto the creature leading the attack. In the distance, he heard Leon shout after him but ignored it as Corviknight’s beak crushed the insectoid’s head like a mosquito bursting after drinking too much blood. Its swollen body fell in a lifeless heap.

Behind Hop, the surviving trainers cheered at the sight of their champion. Their cheers roused Diablo, who reared similar to a horse raising its front legs, and cried out in time to the people’s raised voices while stretching his steel wings out. Hop tossed out the rest of his team in front and shortly after, Leon, Red, and the others touched down beside him. He had just enough time on the way there to switch out Edie with his Rillaboom, Kong, using the online storage box only because he feared that his Dubwool would try to prove himself and get injured.

Hop bellowed a wordless shout. This stirred his Pokémon and everyone else’s to charge forwards. Their enemies shifted into a guarded stance and remained so even as they were pummeled with attacks of all types.

“Duck!” he commanded Diablo when the dragon wasp shot a glob of sickly purple acid at him. Diablo dove and missed most of it save for a splatter on his wing. Unlike the people and Pokémon that had wailed as they dissolved, his Corviknight barely batted an eye and shook the goop off. Hop was never so glad to have a Steel Type until now.

“Take out that one!” He pointed over to another muscly insect that was chasing a male Ace Trainer who held an unconscious Boltund to his chest. Diablo trilled; in a flash of dark feathers, he struck the monster’s back with his razor sharp wings and when it kneeled over, went for the neck in a killing blow. The trainer, barely a year younger than Hop, scrambled to avoid getting flattened by the giant corpse. When the dust settled, he saw the Corviknight hover just above the ground.

“T-Thank you, C-Champion…” Hop handed a Full Restore to the trainer who immediately gave it to his Boltund.

“Get out of the city as soon as you can.” The Ace Trainer agreed all too eagerly and before he ran with his now healed partner, he thanked Hop once more.

Satisfied that he would escape safely, Hop steered Diablo back into the battle. Kong the Rillaboom used his drum to summon grass whips to ensnare and squeeze the life out of the paper star creatures. Red’s Charizard blew a stream of blistering white-reddish fire that instantly reduced a few more into ash. Zacian swiveled its behemoth of a sword so that it cut through a mosquito monster.

Hop wouldn’t register or recall the details until after the battle, but rather than using his voice to command his Pokémon, Red made a nearly indistinguishable gesture with a hand, which Charizard responded to. Different moves required separate gestures and Hop wasn’t sure whether it was Kantoian sign language or a system that Red created himself. Hop was more aware of Leon following a span of a few yards behind him, making sure to have Charizard deal with anything that strayed too close to him and his Corviknight.

“Hop, look out!” Before he could see where Leon was pointing at, something heavy and large slammed into Diablo’s underbelly. The force threw Hop off of his ride and onto the pavement where he skidded. Luckily, they weren’t far off from the ground. The muscled mosquito that had hit Diablo tussled with him in a tangle of wings and arms.

Hop stood up shakily, feeling a light dribble of blood on the side of his head where he landed. His eyes widened when a folded paper monster honed in on him like a shuriken. Its tip nicked the sleeve of his jacket and dug partially into his flesh. He could hear Leon’s frantic shouts for Charizard to hurry up. The shuriken boomeranged around and went for him again. This time, its aim was truer and slashed the left side of his stomach, staining his white shirt with crimson red. Hop grunted and clamped a hand to his side. The shuriken wasn’t able to try a third time for it melted when Charizard’s Flamethrower hit it. Leon practically leaped off to support his wounded brother. However, Hop shrugged away and stumbled over to Diablo, who had finished off its opponent.

“Hop, fall back now. You’re hurt!” Leon pleaded. Hop gritted his teeth and shook his head. He hoisted himself back onto Diablo with some effort. The dragon wasp, the leader of the army, was still active. Even if the other monsters could operate without it, he figured taking out the one in charge would turn the tide.

He shot off in a straight line towards it, and it raised its stinger in challenge. Leon persistently followed him again, ordering his Charizard to assist Corviknight. The wasp thrust out its stinger when Diablo was an arm reach away but it bounced off his solid, plated body. It buzzed fervently and tried to clamp down onto him with its fangs, only to be rewarded with a swift peck. It screeched when Charizard’s flame scorched its wings and again when part of its body became blistered. With flame, beak, and steel, the wasp was starting to move sluggishly.

“One more Steel Wing!” Diablo flew past it with an open wing and sliced its belly in a clean stroke. Purple blood and venom gushed from it and in its death throes, the wasp emitted one last weak buzz. The remaining monsters fought weakly now that their leader had collapsed and were mopped up effectively. When the last one fell, an odd mix of triumphant yells and despairing sobs filled the air.

Kabu’s Arcanine had fallen during the battle. The brave, loyal tiger dog had defended its trainer from a monster only to be ripped messily in half. Kabu closed his partner’s glassy eyes and bent low so nobody would see his tears. Raihan took care of his Flygon, who had received a nasty gash on its tail and back. Others mourned over the remains of their Pokémon and fellow trainers.

Diablo landed on the ground and tucked in its wings. Hop slid off and saw black spots when the landing jostled his stomach injury. Blood kept leaking out beneath him, from the trail on the ground all the way to the back of Diablo.

“Ah, shit…” Hop slurred. He felt a pair of hands on him, pushing him lightly onto the ground.

“Stay awake, baby bro, do you hear me? C’mon, don’t close your eyes,” he heard Leon frantically mutter above him. “Hop, please…please…”

His world turned dark.

* * *

“Well, wasn’t that quite a show, my little Nihil?” Within the spacious office quarters of a base, a woman with long, fanning yellow hair sat comfortably in front of three screens. The glow emitting from them was the only thing illuminating her seemingly youthful face. The creature she addressed, a pale blue jellyfish with appendages that flowed like hair and a bulbous head that resembled a hat, chimed and swayed softly. It had no face and no discernable body.

“It’s a shame it ended so quickly; still, my beauties performed their task admirably,” she crooned as she stroked the hair appendages as if she were combing the hair of a child. On the rightmost screen, the Galarian trainers had cleared the Wild Area. On the middle, the fields of Turffield were trampled but another group stood victorious among corpses of monsters.

“Indeed, you’ve proven useful, Lusamine. These Ultra Beasts you control are formidable,” droned a voice in the shadows. From his desk, a sharp-dressed middle aged man watched the spectacle. “You said that we can find more of these beasts in…Ultra Space, was it?”

“Of course,” the woman uncrossed her shapely legs. “If need be, I can build us another army of my beautiful children. However,” she grinned madly, “I’m more interested in the next step of the plan if the brat still refuses to comply.”

The man hummed and tapped his wood desk idly.

“Only if it comes to that. I think that the boy knows that we’re not playing around now.” He set his gaze on the far left screen, where a handful of people were crowding around the Champion, including his doting brother.

* * *

When Hop was lucid enough to sit up for hours at a time, he suffered an earful and a near breakdown from Leon. That was after his friends had visited him and left him presents and cards. The only thing that stopped Leon from embracing him in a vice grip was the danger of reopening his stomach wound.

“…worried about you! What the bloody hell is Mum going to say when she – are you even listening to me, Hop?” Hop had his hands folded and would’ve very much been the attentive brother if he hadn’t been looking anywhere else but his brother.

“I handled myself out there, Lee. You said earlier that I’m a great Champion, yeah? Well, a great Champion doesn’t hide behind anyone and let others do their work.” Leon visibly flinched. He never thought sweet little Hop would turn his own words against him.

“A Champion can't do anything if they're bleeding out on the ground. You almost…look, I want you to inspire others, but I don’t want you to get hurt because of it.” No answer. A glazed over look told him that Hop wasn’t paying attention anymore. The former champion sighed, only to stifle a yawn. How long had it been since he last slept? It didn’t matter at the moment, he supposed.

“Get some more sleep, okay? I’ll be back in an hour with dinner.” When Hop didn’t respond, Leon awkwardly shuffled out. The teenager remained upright in bed, staring into the wall, when his Rotom phone lit up and flew in front of him once more.

“Brzzzt! Incoming call from: Caller Unknown! Would you like to answer?” the Rotom asked in its usual mechanically chirpy tone.

The numbness faded away, leaving a cold, bitter anger in its place. He managed to spit out an answer through gritted teeth.

“Fine.”

The screen switched, and the same deep, rich voice from before filtered through the phone speaker.

“I’m glad you’re awake and well, Champion Hop.” Again with the false pleasantries. “Have you considered my proposal?”

“Kabu’s Arcanine is dead. So many people and Pokémon are _dead_ and you don’t even care?” His dead, monotone voice inflected until he nearly shouted into the phone. He had to be careful not to alert the nurses or his brother.

“I did warn you, Champion. You could’ve avoided this if you had given me Zacian and Eternatus. How would the people of Galar feel if they knew you had knowledge of this and yet did nothing? How would your brother react if he found out you hid this from him?”

“Don’t bring Lee into this.”

“Regardless, I must ask you again. Will you give me the Pokémon?” Hop considered actually giving this stranger what he wanted. If it meant no more of those grotesque creatures, then surely it was worth it, unless he meant to use them to conquer all of Galar.

“No,” replied Hop, trying to sound as resolute and determined as he could, “no, I won’t.” A pause from the other side.

“Wrong choice.” The line went silent. This time, Hop did throw something across the room. His Rotom phone dodged an incoming hospital pillow and fumed.

“Hey! Don’t damage the goods, brzzzzt!”

“…Sorry, Rotom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Lusamine is from an alternate world where the protagonist never existed and she won, plunging Alola and the world into chaos with the Ultra Beasts.


	6. A Day with Red and Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the battle in Motostoke, Sonia discovers the origins of the Ultra Beasts and the team behind the attack. Meanwhile, Red and Blue goof off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor Red/Blue in this chapter.

“Hmm…so that’s what they are, huh?” Sonia tapped away at the green-lit touchscreen of her standing computers. She twirled a lock of hair at the end of her side pigtail.

“Did ya find something, Prof?” Blue, after pacing and sitting down numerous times before Red shot him a glare, jumped up from the chair. Marnie, Nessa, and Leon loitered around, the former giving belly rubs to Sonia’s Yamper.

“I believe so,” confirmed Sonia with a bob of her head and of her decorative heart-covered pigtails, “going by what you both heard about those unusual Pokémon sightings in Alola, I think they’re one and the same with the creatures that attacked.”

“Those weren’t Pokémon,” Marnie piped up in mid-scratch. Yamper whined and tried to look cute but gave up when he realized that the woman’s attention was elsewhere. “Those things attackin’ us, they don’t look like anythin’ I’ve ever seen.”

She had nightmares of a gargantuan beast that was nearly all mouths and fangs and could’ve swallowed a city whole. She recollected staring into the endless chasm of its belly, almost expecting it to suck her in.

“Yeah, there was a strange monster that was a cross between a tree and an electrical cord at Turffield. It tried to electrocute everything it touched,” Blue explained. Red raised an eyebrow and tried to picture it, only to imagine a lit up Christmas tree on a rampage.

“It certainly tried to electrocute my Drednaw…” Nessa added.

“That must be Xurkitree you saw.” Sonia pulled up a photo of said sentient tree taken by an Alolan photographer. It didn’t look as festive as Red had thought. “And you’re right, they’re not Pokémon, at least not by our standards.” She pulled up an image of a Melemele Times newspaper with the caption: “Ultra Beasts running amok!”

Next she showed them photos of the Ultra Beasts taken by different brave photographers. Marnie shuddered when she saw the monster in her nightmares. It was titled “Guzzlord: UB-05 Glutton”. Leon growled low when the image of a folded paper star appeared on the screen. That one was “Kartana: UB-04 Blade”.

The president of Aether Foundation, an organization dedicated to Pokémon care and shelters, was found trying to breach through dimensions to summon forth these creatures a few years ago, Sonia summarized from a secret files page. In a separate reality, people called them Pokémon. Scientists coined the term ‘Ultra Beasts’ to distinguish them from this world’s Pokémon. They could be captured, but it required a specific ball called the Beast Ball.

Everyone else sat in silence, processing the information. Finally, Blue blurted, “Wait, wait, wait. Even with my genius intellect, that’s difficult to wrap my head around! What’s all this about alternate realities and stuff?” Sonia cast a critical eye at her colleague.

“Didn’t you two stay in Alola during the invasion? You didn’t know that any of this was happening?”

“Hell no. When we got off the plane, the officials told us to go right to the Battle Tree and to not listen to any rumormongers. I would’ve gone and investigated but Red insisted we follow the rules.” Blue stuck his tongue out at his friend, while Red met him with a leveled gaze. It was Pikachu who returned the gesture back to the Kanto professor instead.

“Huh, guess they didn’t want the news to get leaked, especially to foreign emissaries…” Sonia accessed a picture of the Aether Foundation president with a statement following the incident. “It says here that she was deeply sorry for the trouble she caused and would take it upon herself to store the Ultra Beasts in a safe place so they wouldn’t escape again. What’s odd is that if they’re locked away in Alola, why were more of them running around Galar?”

“Maybe someone else is bringing them over from this alternate dimension?” Nessa bounced the idea off as she scratched her chin.

“Probably, but until we know fo- what’s this?” Another swipe of the screen showed them Aether Paradise, the organization’s headquarters, distorted into a gothic parody of itself with a bold ‘R’ letter emblazoned on the front of the building. The last photo was a newspaper clipping about another invasion that happened shortly after Red and Blue left Alola.

“An evil team calling themselves Team Rainbow Rocket took over Aether Paradise. Their leader, Giovanni, intended to amass an army of Ultra Beasts. Luckily, Alola’s first Champion ever put a stop to their plans,” Sonia finished with a parched throat. She took a swig of water from a cup near the computers. Blue was glad he wasn’t the one drinking water for he would’ve done a spit-take at the mere mention of Team Rocket. Beside him, Red and Pikachu tensed up.

“Team Rainbow Rocket? So that’s what they’re calling themselves nowadays?” Blue snorted. “I thought the old guy learned his lesson when you kicked his ass, Red.” Red shrugged and tilted his head to the side.

“If they’re from another world altogether, this Giovanni might not be familiar with you two,” said Leon, “if they’re the ones responsible, you’ll have your chance again.” And mine, went the unspoken sentiment.

“Given Team Rocket’s track record, it doesn’t look like they’ll give up anytime soon. Everyone be on the lookout, and I’ll see if I can locate their hidden base.” Sonia turned back to her touchscreens and typed away furiously while mumbling to herself, signaling that the meeting was over.

* * *

Weeks had passed, and the region fell into an unsteady peace. Efforts to rebuild Motostoke and Turffield were still underway and the gym leaders found themselves with their hands full. Mass funerals were held for the lives lost, and Hop forced himself to attend to show his support. The showdown between Champions was postponed indefinitely, not that anyone complained. In between helping with the reconstruction, Red and Blue explored more of Galar and got to know its people and Pokémon better.

On Route 7, Red spotted a Morpeko, the same one that Marnie had showed him, scampering through the grass. His Pikachu hopped off at a gesture from Red and sent a Thunderbolt crashing into the unsuspecting rodent.

“Aw, he’s kinda cute!” Blue edged closer to Morpeko, hoping to gather some data from it with his Rotom phone. “Looks cuter than your damn Pik…” He trailed off. A glaring light enveloped the wild critter for a moment, only to reveal that its appearance had changed drastically. It remained the same size but its fur turned a sinister purple and black color and its beady eyes became hellish red slants.

This new Morpeko growled and charged towards the closest thing to it: Blue. He made an undignified noise in the back of his throat as he backed up, which turned into unholy shrieking when the Morpeko nipped at his heels.

“F-Fuuuuuck! Reeeeeed! Catch the thing before it eats me!”

Pikachu looked up at the smiling man, waiting for an order. As amusing as it was to see him get chased in circles, he didn’t want Blue to actually get hurt. He nodded down at the Pikachu and moved his fingers in a rocking motion.

“Chu!” Pikachu sent a powerful Thunder towards the Morpeko, careful to not strike his trainer’s friend instead. It yelped upon contact and tipped over in a smoking heap.

One Pokéball thrown later, Red was the new proud owner of a Morpeko, and Blue was the disgruntled owner of a couple of scratches. Red brought the Morpeko back out, giving it a Full Restore, and patted its head when it came to.

“Ow, first your Mimikyu tried to curse me, then this little demon tries to maul me! Even your Pikachu likes to electrocute me time to time. I’m starting to think all your Pokémon hate me, man,” Blue pouted at the Morpeko that now chittered brightly at him in its normal form. Red chuckled and bent down to help clean the shallow scratches on Blue’s leg.

“Sorry. Should’ve mentioned they get like that when they’re hungry,” said Red. The professor faked a gasp of outrage.

“Ya mean you knew about it and didn’t warn me? The audacity!”

Once he was patched up, they decided to make camp in the area. It was just shy after mid-afternoon. Both trainers let their Pokémon loose so they could play and eat together. Pikachu, Mimikyu, and the newly caught Morpeko chased each other around while Snorlax, Exeggutor, and Charizard lounged about.

As soon as Blue set up the fire and cooking pot, he put a couple of ripened berries and a package of mushrooms he bought off a merchant in the Wild Area. He had traded recipes with Sonia, who considered herself an aficionado of Galarian curry. Like in all things he did, he vowed to become the best curry maker ever so he could take those recipes back home to Gramps, Daisy, and Leaf.

He gently fanned the bubbling stew, his mouth watering as the smell of fresh mushrooms and sweet berries hit his nostrils.

“Smells good,” Red said and plopped down beside him, watching the stew as well. For a spell, they sat in comfortable silence with only the playful squeaks of their Pokémon to accompany it.

“Leaf called yesterday, you know,” Blue started, and the other man’s questioning hum prompted him further, “she saw what happened on the news. I told her that we were both fine, well, relatively fine.” He spared her the details of the horrific monsters and what they could do.

The Xurkitree was eccentric, yet it didn’t do as much harm as the rest of the Ultra Beasts. He witnessed firsthand one – called Celesteela if he remembered correctly – use its spike on top of its head as a drill. It burst toward a fleeing Skwovet and drove into the ground where it drilled mercilessly into it. He would never forget the sounds the squirrel made. He didn’t dare to see what remained of the unfortunate creature.

Red hadn’t divulged much on what happened in Motostoke City, but the nights where he woke in a cold sweat told Blue enough.

“Only Leaf? Not your grandpa and sister?” asked Red.

“Nah. Thankfully, Gramps and Dais are vacationing in Alola so they don’t know what’s going on, or I’ll never hear the end of it from them,” Blue grumped as he stirred the pot.

When the food was ready, they divided it up and dug in. The texture was smooth and the taste was delectable, at least to Blue. He watched his companion out of the corner of his eye. Red had his eyes closed and hummed as he chewed slowly. Over the years, he noticed that when Red did that, it meant that he really liked the food. If he remained quiet but still had his eyes closed, that meant he found it okay or good. If he had his eyes open and kept quiet, then he disliked it.

Leaf found it weird he noticed such fine details, but what kind of friend was he if he didn’t know what kind of foods the other liked? Nonetheless, he mentally patted himself on the back.

After, they watched the splendor of the sun dipping below the cluster of treetops of the Glimwood Tangle. A spectrum of summer orange and autumn purple painted the sky. Pikachu pointed up at a star constellation that resembled a galloping Galarian Rapidash, causing Mimikyu to gurgle in wonder.

Blue felt a small pressure on his shoulder and found Red leaning into it comfortably. He had taken his hat off so fine strands of dark brown hair tickled Blue’s nose. Another detail Blue noticed but most missed was that Red could be awfully touchy and protective. Of course, he wasn’t touchy with any stranger unless they had earned his friendship as he had. Blue felt a little embarrassed to come back to Wyndon City after the Ultra Beast battle only for Red to storm over and scrutinize him for any injuries. He had kept a firm grip on his shoulders, heedless of the curious eyes that watched them. Blue attempted to assure him that he hadn’t gotten hurt, yet the Pokémon master was only satisfied when he examined for himself.

Red had confidence in his friend’s ability to deal with most threats, he knew; the presence of such otherworldly creatures that could raze entire cities within minutes was another issue. It was nice in a way, if not overbearing, that Red looked after him so.

He snuck an arm around his waist and just as soon as he did, he regretted it. Would Leaf had thought that weird as well? Red didn’t complain, however, and let out a contented hum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless they arrived right after the Ultra Beast mishap in Sun and Moon, I never got why Red and Blue didn't get involved, considering how strong they are and how dangerous the Ultra Beasts are. So I decided to have the whole incident be a cover-up by Alolan authorities to save face.


	7. A City of Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in Hammerlocke City becomes a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character Injury

Hop stalked the winding streets and alleyways of Hammerlocke City, weaving into and from the shadows. He made sure to have the hood of his navy blue sweater down so that he wouldn’t attract attention. He also made sure to study every person he passed.

An older man in his fifties with a neatly pressed black plaid shirt and suit pants on carried a briefcase in one hand and a cellphone in the other. A bolded ‘R’ logo on the top right of the shirt nearly made Hop freeze in his tracks and accost the businessman, except the ‘R’ had a lightning bolt through it and smaller letters after spelled out ‘Raichu Electrical Co.’.

Not Team Rocket then, or Rainbow Rocket, or whatever Sonia had said they were called. He sorely wished he could increase the security around Hammerlocke Stadium tenfold, but that would alert Raihan, who would alert Leon, who would then question him. He was sure though that Team Rocket had their sights on Hammerlocke.

Someone brushed against his left arm and he whirled, ready to swing a fist, his nerves jittery and pulled to their limit.

“Barmy git! The young man that bumped into him eyed his raised fist. His hood was pulled down low enough so the man couldn’t recognize his golden eyes or short hair. Instead of a confrontation, the passerby turned his nose up in disdain and walked away. Hop shoved his hands back into his pockets and hurried left into a shaded alleyway. He leaned back on the obsidian bricks and slid down with his knees to his chest. His breaths came in ragged, stuttering pants, his heart felt constricted like a hand squeezing juice out of a fruit.

He pressed his knuckles against eye sockets, waiting for his heartrate to slow and for the paranoia to ebb away. His stomach rumbling told him it was time to take a break. He pushed himself up from the ground and rejoined the crowded street.

* * *

During the first day off they had in weeks, Bea and Allister traveled to Hammerlocke for some shopping and relaxation. The ghost-type gym leader, now thirteen, glued himself to Bea’s side the entire time. Allister fixed the oval chalky white mask that he normally outside of the house when it began to slip off his face. It took the citizens of Hammerlocke a while to get accustomed to the reclusive child being out in the open, but lately, more and more people stopped to wave or greet him.

Their first order of business was new clothes. Neither of them really cared for fashion like Nessa, but even Allister had to admit that he was outgrowing his old clothes.

“I suppose I could buy a new training outfit as well…” Bea said to herself upon entering the boutique. She glanced down when she felt a tug at her sleeve. “What is it, Al?”

“Um…is it okay if we get…ice cream after this?” He asked, the supernatural glow of his lavender eyes peeking out from the twin eye holes of the mask. What would be unnerving to many, Bea found striking. She ruffled the child’s black mop of hair.

“That sounds good. I believe we’ve earned ourselves a little treat.”

Allister ended up picking out several pairs of dark colored shirts and pants similar to ones he had, only a size or two up. Bea purchased new tank tops, loose fitting shirts, and shorts for her training regimen.

Later on, they sat on a bench in a mini park that offered a splendid side view of the fortress stadium, enjoying their ice cream. Bea ordered a double scoop chocolate ice cream cone with extra fudge on the top while Allister got a mint chocolate chip cone. Allister had to lift his mask up to eat, and did so while keeping his eyes to the ground.

“…Bea…thanks…” Allister mumbled after he finished his ice cream and slid his mask back on. The fighting prodigy shook her head. She offered a gentle smile.

“No, thank you for helping with the clean-up, Al. It is a lot to ask of you, but you never complain.” The Champion made sure to keep Allister away from the worst hit areas, where desecrated bodies had littered the ground and buildings were reduced to rubble. His job was to transport food and medical supplies to the citizens while his Pokémon assisted in constructing new homes.

“Oh…’ts nothing…” Allister scratched his head sheepishly. He didn’t mind it as long as Bea was happy, as long as the people could move on, as long as Mr. Kabu could see his city restored to its former glory.

“Hey, what’s that up there?” A man and woman standing next to a ledge nearby them pointed up at the sky. Bea followed the direction they were pointing at, but saw nothing but a cloudless, brilliantly summer afternoon. Allister stood up on the bench to get a look too.

Finally, Bea made out an object in the far distance, a jagged, uneven shape that turned into many more objects. She felt the beginnings of a chill sweep over the city, causing the hairs on her arms to stand straight up and goosebumps to pop up on her flesh.

A woman screamed. The shapes in the sky hurtled towards them at an alarming rate. Bea’s gray eyes grew impossibly wide.

“Is that…ice?” She could make it out clearer now. Giant slabs of frozen solid ice fell from the sky with Hammerlocke City its bullseye. Without any further hesitation, she released Hawlucha, Grapploct, Falinks, Sirfetch’d, and Machamp from their balls.

“Hawlucha, Fly Allister out of the city, now!” She ordered in a curt, and hopefully steady tone. The wrestler bird squawked and hoisted Allister up by the armpits. The boy squirmed in its grip

“Bea…? What’s going on? Bea…Bea!” He tried to pry the bird’s claws off of him. “Please…lemme go!”

The first chunk of ice took off the tip of the stadium where the battlements were and landed on a grassy field outside the city. The second one struck the center of the city, spraying people with smaller icy rocks and sending Pokémon flying from the impact. Bea ordered her Pokémon to bring helpless citizens to shelter and to repel the ice missiles. Allister reached up to tickle the bird’s belly, which made it screech and drop him only a few feet from the air. He landed seamlessly and took out his own Pokémon to help Bea while the Hawlucha followed him.

“Gengar…Shadow Ball!” Gengar’s jaw opened wide to shoot out a sphere of concentrated purple energy towards an incoming slab. It shattered upon contact causing tiny particles to rain down. Bea turned, her shock morphed into anger and worry.

“Al, what are you still doing here? You need to leave the city!” Allister remained put.

“No…I wanna help too…” Bea’s Machamp kicked an ice sheet headed towards her. She went back to giving commands but positioned herself so she could always see him. Allister’s Mimikyu slapped an ice boulder away from a cowering Eevee with a shadowy claw while Grapploct grabbed a Stufful and dove away before another crushed it. No matter how many Bea and Allister destroyed, they kept dropping from the heavens.

One small chunk that blew off from a slab that Machamp destroyed ricocheted off the side of a house and rebounded right towards the back of Allister’s head. She knew none of her Pokémon would make it in time so she threw herself in front of the projectile, pushing him out of the way as she did so.

Her temples erupted in a sea of pain for all of three seconds and then darkness claimed her.

“Bea, wha…” He saw the limp, spread-eagled form of the woman he considered his older sister, and scrambled to her side. Allister violently shook her, his cracked voice lost among the earth-shattering thuds and the cries of the dying.

* * *

Hop raced along the streets, stumbling whenever an ice boulder collided with the ground and caused it to shake. His eyes darted to and fro, pupils dilated in terror and adrenaline. Most of the people he saw in the back streets were already crushed or beyond saving. Overhead, he saw a familiar figure on the back of a Flygon. In between ordering the dragon to dodge the lethal ice meteors, he could make out Raihan screaming into his phone for Leon to hurry up and get his ass down to Hammerlocke. Raihan’s Turtonator remained on the surface to thaw out anyone trapped.

Hop instinctively followed the same direction Flygon was heading towards, which was the center of the city. When he reached a park with a small area for practicing battles, he found Allister kneeling beside a prone body. The boy had his head in his hands, sobbing and calling for help.

“Allister!” Hop ducked under a sailing ball of ice on his way to them. The kid lifted his head and waved his arms.

“Please…you gotta help her…Bea is…” He mumbled, voice thick with snot and tears. Hop bent down and touched two fingers to her neck. A pulse, but weak. On the side of her head, a glaring purple-red welt had swelled up.

“She’s still breathing, thankfully. We’ve got to get her out of here.” Hop lifted the woman up into his arms without effort. Allister called for Gengar.

“Use Protect on us, please.” A pinkish glow spread from the ghost’s stubby arms and covered them in a near invisible barrier. A slab of ice careened towards them, but bounced off above, the barrier shining for a brief moment. “O-Okay, let’s go, Mr. Champion.”

With Gengar trailing behind them, they ran for the crossroads that lead to the stadium entrance and to the east wing. Their lips and fingers turned a deathly blue from the dropping temperature and frost covered their hair. Halfway, Hop saw a middle-aged woman trying to pull a motionless young man to cover.

“Help! He’s bleeding! He’s been struck! Please, help!” He started to move forward, but Allister gasped.

“Mr. Champion, G-Gengar can’t hold the shield too long. We need to go!” Gengar’s usual grin became strained and it grunted as the barrier wavered. Hop bit his lip. All of the Pokémon around him were too preoccupied to help and he couldn't take out his own with Bea in his arms. He made a split-second decision.

“I’ll be back, I promise!” Hop called back to the woman. They hurried on ahead.

Turning left at the crossroads, they entered the registration lobby of the stadium. People huddled together inside, riding out the remainder of the hailstorm. Raihan’s gym trainers were there to administer food and medicine to the injured. Camilla jogged up to them, noting Bea’s head wound with a tight frown.

“Thank you, Champion. We’ll take care of her from here on out.” Gingerly, he handed her over and watched her and her colleagues set her down on a cot. They took a clean strip of cloth and applied it to her head until it bled a dark red. One of them then wrapped a gauze around the injury.

“Is…she gonna be okay…?” asked Allister. Hop thought of what to say.

“I think so. If she fights through this as hard as she trains, then she’ll pull through.” He motioned for the boy to go by her side. “You stay here and watch over her, alright? I’ll be back.”

“O-Okay…be careful, mister…”

After what seemed like an eternity, the onslaught of ice ceased, leaving Hammerlocke a frozen wasteland. Hop went the same way he and Allister had come from, to find the elderly woman that had begged him for help. A shout came from the left. It took Raihan several strides to reach and sweep him up into a bone-crushing hug.

“Bloody hell, there you are! Lee told me you had business here today. He’s on his way now.” He held Hop back for an inspection. “Kid, you’re bleeding!”

“’ts not all mine.” True, he had a few nicks on his skin from tiny ice shards but most of it was Bea’s.

“Even so, Lee’s gonna freak when he sees-“ A Charizard’s roar cut him off. “…ya.” Raihan backed away, anticipating it would be better to stay out of Leon’s way when he dismounted. Sure enough, the instant he touched down he barreled over to his brother and picked him up in another bone-crushing hug.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” Leon whispered, it felt as though if he raised his voice any higher, he himself would crumble to pieces. Hop started to lean in, his eyes fluttering shut, and remembered the warmth and soothing words directed to him when he awoke from now-childish nightmares.

“You!” The illusion shattered. He pushed away from Leon to find the woman that begged for help earlier. Any question he had about the man with her died upon seeing her pretty blue eyes leaking with mascara. The man was nowhere in sight.

“Because of you, my son’s dead!” Her voice cracked on the last syllable. Dried blood caked her arms, her clothes, and her forehead. She brought her hand up and slapped him across the face. He touched his cheek with a whimper.

Raihan started to close in, a protective dragon to his hatchlings, but stopped when he saw rage flash in Leon’s honey colored eyes, churning, boiling deep within like golden fire waiting to erupt from a dragon’s mouth.

“Arceus…I-I’m so sorry, I-" She cut off Hop's babbling and reached out to slap him again, only for her arm to be gripped mid-air by a stronger hand.

“Don’t touch him.”

The woman yanked her arm away and jabbed a finger at Hop.

“Why does he get to live while my son doesn’t? If you were still Champion, Leon, this would’ve never happened!” The few people that passed by said nothing and kept their heads down. Hop’s stayed down too, his eyes burned with unshed tears.

When he next looked up, she had stormed away.

“She’s right.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Lee, I could’ve stopped this.”

“How?” Hop didn’t answer and stepped away. He called out his Corviknight. “Hop, where are you going?” Both Leon and Raihan moved to grab him when he suddenly ran and jumped on the raven. He looked at them, his face a hollow mask.

“I’m going to fix this, I promise.” Leon reached for a Pokéball. “Diablo, use Gust, but don’t hurt them.” The Corviknight cocked his head at him. He flapped his wings to create a whirlwind strong enough to knock them over yet light so that they wouldn’t fly into any buildings. “Go, hurry.”

Hop and Diablo soared into the setting sky. When Charizard and Flygon took to the sky too, Hop was but a pinpoint in the distance.

* * *

Above the clouds, Ghetsis sat on the back of a light blue and gray dragon. Its breath came out in wisps of icy air.

“Splendid, Kyurem. Where that woman failed, this will succeed in convincing him."

Together, they flew back to the base to report.


	8. A Star Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop goes on a rampage of revenge and somehow, Blue gets involved in all of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hop makes stupid decisions in this one, like raiding a base all by himself, but I guess pressure and sleep-deprivation'll do that. In Blue's case, he was just curious.

“Brzzzt! Incoming call from: Cal-“

“Go ahead.”

“I presume you’ve finally seen reason, Champion?” Giovanni asked once the call went through. The roar of the wind and the flaps of Diablo’s wings nearly blocked out his voice.

“You win, I’ll bring Zacian,” said Hop, “the attack on Hammerlocke was a diversion too, wasn’t it? You have Eternatus.”

“Glad you’ve caught on.” Hop ignored the jab.

“Where’s your base?” A beep came from his Rotom phone.

“Check your map, Champion, I’ll be waiting.” The call ended and Hop tapped on the GPS icon. His position, marked by a blue dot, quickly moved away from Hammerlocke. On the bottom left corner of the regional map, only west of Postwick, was a small island with an ‘R’ marker on it. He swore softly. He had hidden Zacian’s Pokéball in his room right before leaving for Hammerlocke. With Giovanni’s base so close to the family house, Hop prayed he bought his bluff and hadn’t ordered his men to raid it.

“Brzzzt! Incoming call from: Le-“

“No,” he replied, softer, “and put him on mute, Rotom.”

* * *

_“Sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I’ll get right back to ya! Cheers!”_

“Hop…please, please call back. I don’t know what’s going on, just…we can talk about this. You can tell your big bro anything, so please…call back.” Leon ended the call. He slouched on the table and buried his head in his arms. He felt the urge to tear at his hair, to punch a hole in the wall, anything to get rid of the pressure building up.

“Lee, you need to eat.” Raihan set down a plate of curry that Sonia had cooked up only to have Leon push it away. “And you need some sleep too. I know you want to find Hop, but you’re kinda running low on fumes, mate.”

“Don’t need it.” To Raihan, Leon sounded like a petulant child. And he knew what to do with petulant children who refused to cooperate.

“Alright, bed time it is.” He hoisted the other up with a grunt – he wasn’t as stacked as Leon – and deposited him right onto the bed.

“Raihan!”

“Sleep. That’s an order, Champ. Sonia and Grams are still trying to find Hop’s whereabouts, the gym leaders are on the lookout, and when they find him, I’ll wake you up. Got it?” Leon pursed his lips, but nodded and settled in.

Raihan waited until his breathing evened out, save for the occasional murmur, and went downstairs. He was tempted to fly back to his city to check on the rebuilding efforts, but Camilla had specifically assured him that everything was under control and sent him to help find their Champion and the missing Eternatus, which had been swiped during the attack. And if they found Hop, then they would most likely find the bastards who had killed and terrorized his people and – he bared his canines at the thought.

“It’s no good…” Sonia sighed from the room adjacent to his. “Something’s blocking me from tracking Hop’s phone, or maybe he turned it off?”

“Take a break, dearie, perhaps one of your friends has found the child. Here, I’ll brew you a cuppa,” said Magnolia, and Raihan heard the click-clacking of the elderly woman’s cane as she shuffled into the kitchen.

Suddenly, the front door to the lab slammed open, making him jump out of his skin. A late-night early summer breeze slipped in. Red stood, his face the same color as his namesake and his chest heaved with each breath. The Pikachu on his shoulder had a worried frown on its round face. Sonia peeked around the corner.

“Is that you, Ness? Did’ya find Ho – Red? I’ve been meaning to call you both and…wait, where _is_ Blue?”

Red looked her square in the eyes, and said only two words:

“He’s disappeared.”

* * *

On their second night out in the wild, they decided to set up camp in a copse of trees to the west of the Meeting Spot train station. Red and Blue spent the morning and early afternoon catching new species and battling wild Dynamaxed Pokémon. When they first went against a giant Yamper, Blue had dropped his Pokéballs at the sight of the tongue-lolling, angry-eyed yellow dog towering over them.

Blue even caught a Galarian Meowth, and as per tradition, not without being chased around and scratched by its honed claws. He wanted to name it something like “Little Shit”, though he knew Red would disapprove. By the time the Noctowls went about hooting their nightly songs after sunset, Red and Pikachu were already fast asleep. The temperature had abruptly dropped throughout the day, frost lining the trees and grass, and so Red clung onto him for warmth during the night, or so he reasoned.

Too bad he wasn’t even remotely tired and needed to piss badly. He carefully wriggled his way out of Red’s arms, mindful to not wake him or the rodent. He already missed the heat captured underneath the sleeping bag.

As he stood far enough away, relieving himself, he observed the twinkling stars in the dark sky. An equally dark shape soared past, blotting out the light of the stars for a second. Blue squinted. A Corviknight? They were nocturnal by nature, an appearance by one at this time was not unusual. He would’ve looked away had he not noticed the person riding it. A trainer then. He could discern a blue fur-lined jacket, short purple hair, and –

“What’s the kid doing at this hour?” Blue glanced to the smoldering embers of the campfire, and then to Red comfortable under the roll, and to Hop again. He knew there was no chance of falling asleep at that point, his limbs felt tight like a spring about to unwind. “I’ll be back before he wakes.”

He released his Aerodactyl and made a hushing motion before the winged dinosaur caused a clamor. Instead, he rumbled softly. Blue gave his horned grey head a pat and climbed onto his spiny back. They took off, following Hop at a distance.

Hours later, when Red shifted in the bedroll, he reached over to pull Blue to his chest only to grab air. His brown eyes snapped open. Maybe he just had to pee, he thought. A quick scan around the general area proved otherwise.

“Blue?” He kicked the bag from his legs and stood up, which woke up Pikachu. They walked a span of twenty feet in all directions. Pikachu called for the missing man as well. A cold sweat dripped down Red’s temples. His mind whirred with a variety of scenarios, all of them involved Blue in trouble. His Charizard lost track of the man’s scent for too many wild Pokémon passed by within the hour. There was only one option to him. Red hastily broke camp, shoving items into his backpack, and flew as fast as he could to Wedgehurst.

* * *

A pair of Team Rainbow Rocket grunts lounged outside the entrance of their hideout. One of them stuck his finger in his teeth to pick out gunk and the other yawned loud.

“When’s he gonna show up? Boss said he’d be here soon,” said the grunt that yawned. He shivered, wishing he had something warmer on other than his black Rocket uniform. “This place is too damn cold.”

"Shut up 'n stop asking, the brat'll turn up,” said the other one with his finger still in his mouth.

A caw rung out overhead.

“Well, see? There he is with that bird o-“ The first grunt cut off with a cry when a thick white beam of pure energy hurtled into the front door, completely obliterating it and sending both of them flying. The tooth-picker grunt groaned and sat up with his eardrums ringing. His coworker copied his movement. He shouted to him but all he saw was the guy’s flapping mouth. The rustle of wings made them look up.

“…Fuck.”

Inside the base, grunts from every room mobilized. Another attack rocked the building, melting through part of the roof, followed by more yelling. The squadron remained in position, some already sweating, and waited for the dust to clear.

Hop dropped through the ruined ceiling and landed with a crouch. His Corviknight touched down right behind him, and to the grunts’ horror, it looked as though the raven’s outstretched wings were the boy’s own. Yellow eyes that glowed in the moonlight glared at them.

“Diablo… _Hurricane_.”

A mass of bodies tossed around into each other, into the sides of the walls, or out of the base and into the sea when the Corviknight rapidly flapped his wings. Their shouts mixed with demonic screeching. Once the winds died down, Hop calmly stepped past the unconscious grunts. He released his team out. Edie shook himself, his wool fluffing out.

“Attack anyone who has an ‘R’ symbol on their clothing,” he ordered. His Pokémon acknowledged him and spread out.

Blue reached the same islet shortly after, only to find that the Champion had already left a large swath of destruction behind him.

“Holy…” He almost tripped over a groaning grunt. The entire hallway was littered with them. “Kid’s not gonna leave any for me.” A walkway that branched to the left led to a big sheep that repeatedly headbutted a cowering male grunt in the corner.

“This sheep’s mad! Help!” He sniveled when the blunt of Edie’s horns collided with him. Edie heard footsteps and turned around, ready to charge at this new threat. Blue held his hands up.

“Don’t hit me! I’m a friend of your trainer, promise. See? No Team Rocket uniform.” He plucked at his T-shirt. Edie examined him and, finding him to his liking, relaxed and smiled. “Thanks, buddy.” Blue bent down to turn the Rocket grunt around and grabbed the shaking man by the collar.

“Please don’t hurt me!”

“Where’s Giovanni?”

“A-At the end of the hall, just take a right.”

“Great, thanks.” Blue clocked him out cold with a mean right hook to the jaw. He tossed him onto the ground. “C’mon, let’s find Hop.” Edie bleated and followed him back into the main hallway.

* * *

“You’ve made quite the mess out of my little hideout, Champion. Terribly poor manners, considering I invited you here in the first place. Though you had no intention to hand over Zacian, did you?” Giovanni sat at his desk, hands neatly folded. Six people flanked his side, and all of them sported nasty grins.

“You came alone? Foolish runt,” said the oldest one there, a man with long, bizarrely shaped green hair and a red eyepatch over his right eye.

Hop did feel a bit foolish. He would fare against all of them better if he had backup at his side, but that would mean revealing to Leon everything he desperately tried to keep secret. As he tended to do, he tried to solve every problem without help.

“You needn’t concern yourselves with this one,” Giovanni said to his allies, “Come out, Mewtwo, and deal with our troublesome guest.” From the shadows stepped out a tall bipedal light purple cat with sinewy, powerful hind legs and a fleshy tube connecting its head to its neck. It wore a silver helmet that hid its eyes.

Hop’s Pokémon made a shield around him. From his research of the Kanto region, he knew of Mewtwo’s origin as a genetically modified experiment and its incredibly powerful psychic abilities.

“Psychic,” said Giovanni. Mewtwo’s bulbous three-fingered hand raised, a pink glow surrounding it. The glow extended to the Corviknight who was thrown into the wall. His steel scales scraped against it without a dent or scratch.

“Diablo, Assurance!” Diablo propelled himself from the wall with four-pronged talons and, tucking his wings in, struck his opponent in the chest with his durable head. Mewtwo flew back, groaning from the super-effective move.

“Recover,” Giovanni ordered.

“Don’t let it use that. Drill Peck!” Diablo swooped around, dive-bombing towards it. In mid-flight, a blast of fire shot his way and singed his metal feathers. The Corviknight squawked and slammed into the ground after losing momentum. Hop diverted his attention to the offender.

“Hey, stay out of this!”

One of Giovanni’s allies, a man with wild red hair and a trimmed goatee sent out a fierce lion Pokémon with a similar colored mane to its trainer. Giovanni tsked at him.

“Lysandre, I thought I told you not to concern yourself.”

The man with the eyepatch, Ghetsis, spat to the side and called out a blue and black three-headed dragon Pokémon. Following his lead, most of the other team leaders sent out their own Pokémon. Only two of them, separately wearing magma red and aqua blue clothing, didn’t participate.

“Who cares? We have the runt here now, so why waste the opportunity?" asked Ghetsis. Giovanni glared at him briefly, before adopting an indifferent manner.

“Fine, have your way with him.”

Pokémon from all different directions jumped at Hop’s, some even double-teaming against his. One by one, his Pokémon fell, unable to respond to his orders in time.

“No…” A tightness constricted his lungs. Mewtwo held him in the air with Psychic and thrusted its arm to the side. Hop crunched against steel plating and the wind was knocked out of him. He fell into a heap.

“Giovanni!” Blue and Edie burst into the office. The sight of the feline brought back harrowing memories of when he and Red went to Cerulean Cave to confront it. It one-shot all of his Pokémon and most of Red’s save for Charizard. “Wait, M-Mewtwo? How…how do you have it?” He fumbled for his Pokéballs, but it was too late.

“More guests.” Giovanni smiled. “Mewtwo, deal with him.”

Its hands glowed again, and Blue screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...That Hop and Corviknight scene in the TRR base was totally inspired from the last episode on Game of Thrones where Drogon rises up and his wings looks as though Dany has them instead. If nothing else, that one scene in Season 8 stuck with me.
> 
> Anyway, please comment, criticize, or leave a kudos!


	9. The Price of Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop makes an unlikely new friend and Leon starts to crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slips by casual mention of Hop being bi and Gloria being ace*

I’m sorry, Lee, we couldn’t find Hop anywhere…” After a whole night of non-stop searching, the gym leaders turned up empty.

Leon forced a smile; he truly felt thankful they all jumped at the chance to find his little brother, but it made it all the worse that Hop didn’t want to be found at all. Or had he gone after Team Rainbow Rocket, if he meant what he said by ‘fixing everything’?

‘Why couldn’t you have asked for my help?’

Nessa turned to Red and bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Red. We couldn’t find your friend either.” Red nodded curtly, not trusting himself to speak lest his voice cracked in front of others.

“First Hop, now Blue…that can’t be a coincidence, can it?” mused Raihan. “Hey, Mr. Legend, do you think he knew what Hop was going to do? Did they both go after Team Rainbow Rocket?”

Red contemplated that. He felt he knew Blue, that they knew each other enough to not keep such secrets from each other. Though if Hop had his own secrets that even Leon didn’t know…maybe his best friend didn’t want to make him worry. He opted to shrug at Raihan.

“Anyway, the whole region’s gotta know. The more people looking for the two of ‘em, the better,” said Gloria. An echo of agreement rippled. Leon couldn’t argue with that logic, though he had a feeling the league council wouldn’t agree.

“We’ll resume the search at noon. Until then, you all rest up,” said Kabu in the middle of the small group. Those present broke off into smaller groups or went off to find grub. Leon stood up and a wave of dizziness overcame him. An ache in the back of his head and temples pounded away. Raihan caught his arm before he swayed any further to the side.

“Oi, you still don’t look well, Lee. I’ll ask Sonia to whip up some food, go lay down.” The chairman pushed his arm away, standing defiantly despite the bags under his eyes. His sleep had been short and restless.

“I’m not staying here while you all search, if that’s what you’re implying, Rai.” The dragon tamer sighed – there was no dissuading Leon, or Hop, from anything when they had their mind set on it.

“Fine, I’m still gonna make you eat something, but don’t go fainting on us later, alright?”

* * *

He awoke in a dusty, darkened cell to Blue ranting about being _the_ Professor Oak – second only to his grandfather, of course – and how he was tired, cold, and in need of a warm meal. Hop shifted into a sitting position and winced when he twisted his body the slightest. A jolt of pain shot up his spine where he had hit the wall. His fingers instinctively went for the Pokéballs hung at his belt only to brush against nothing.

‘Edie, Diablo…they have my whole team…’ He thought with a bitter pang.

A Rocket grunt patrolling by threatened to stick a Weedle in places Weedles shouldn’t be if Blue didn’t shut up. He stuck him the middle finger but quieted down. He noticed movement in the cell next to his and a gentle smile replaced his irritated scowl.

“Sorry I woke you up, kid, just woke up myself a couple minutes ago to a nasty head bruise. When I saw where we are, I kinda lost my cool.” Hop shook his head.

“It’s fine, but…what are _you_ doing, Professor? How’d you find me, or this place?”

“Weird story, but I saw you flying your Corviknight out in the Wild Area and got curious so I followed you with your Dubwool. The Alolan report didn’t mention the old bastard having Mewtwo.” Hop moaned in frustration and buried his face in his hands while furiously scrubbing his scalp with fingertips.

“Now I’ve involved you in this too. I’m so sorry, mate,” he muttered. If Blue could, he would’ve patted the self-pitying boy’s shoulder.

“Eh, guess I should’ve let Red know where I was going too. Hope he’s not destroying half of Galar just to find me…” A strange all-knowing smirk twitched at Hop’s lips. He took the opportunity to switch the subject.

“You’re close to Mr. Red, aren’t you?”

“Sure, we grew up together. You had a rival too, didn’t you?” In his mind’s eye, Hop recalled his fierce matches with Gloria, and more casual battles with Victor. He knew Gloria’s heart belonged to no one and he remembered her twin blushing around Marnie. He gave up pursuing either of them long ago. That smirk turned into a sadder, longing smile.

“Shit, bad memories? Didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s nothing.” They left it at that. Silence settled between them until Hop sighed.

“Lee must be worrying too. If we get out, I should apologize to him…”

“What do you mean, if? If your brother or Red don’t bust us out of jail, then we’ll do it ourselves.”

_Unwise to do so, human._

Both of them startled at the newcomer’s addition to their previously private conversation. In the darkest corner of the room directly diagonal from Blue, Mewtwo’s visor blinked red. It glided towards the cages. Hop suppressed a shiver. When had it appeared? And since when could it talk telepathically? None of the reports on Mewtwo mentioned it could speak human languages.

_I’ve been here the whole time, waiting for the noisy one to quiet down._

Blue shrunk back without thinking. He started to realize that this was not the same Mewtwo he and Red fought, that didn’t stop him from fearing what it could do.

“You’re here to keep guard, right? Why don’t you stay in the light instead of haunting the nooks like a Gengar?” asked Hop. Blue hissed at him quietly to not invite the Pokémon closer. Mewtwo tilted its head.

 _You’re a peculiar human. Most fear me._ It seemed to stare right past Blue’s bravado.

“Fear? You’re wicked strong. I respect that. And Pokémon aren’t inherently bad, it’s the trainer.” It teleported in front of Hop’s cage in a blink, staring down at him through the visor’s shades. It crackled with purple energy.

 _Naïve. You know nothing about me or Pokémon nature. I’ve always obeyed that man’s whims._ Hop met the creature’s gaze evenly. Blue wondered how he could stare death in the face and not faint from terror.

“That’s only because you were never given a chance otherwise. This is all you’ve known.” Mewtwo didn’t reply, choosing instead to brood near the jail room’s exit.

* * *

“You want me to go on national television and _lie_ to everyone, to tell them with a straight face that my brother and one of the Kantoian emissaries aren’t feeling well? That that’s why they haven’t made any appearances lately?”

Breathe in, breathe out. Rose’s breathing exercises were becoming handier as of late. Leon gripped his Rotom phone, willing his bubbling frustration to simmer, and hoped that the league council would see reason.

“Chairman, regardless of your personal stake in this, people would panic if they knew what happened to their Champion. If Kanto finds out that their professor was hurt or killed overseas, they would sever all ties with us,” said the vice president of the council, directly below Leon. They were traditionally supposed to defer to his decision no matter what, yet at every corner, they found some way to oppose him.

“We have no way of knowing where they are. We don’t have the luxury of waiting or the time to comb through every part of Galar. Our people will find out something’s wrong eventually, and Kanto’s Elite Four will come snooping if they hear no word from Professor Oak. That’s why we need all the help we can get now.”

“…I’m sorry, Chairman, but we cannot let you do that. Champion Hop’s ratings were low before all of this and now they think him a weak and incompetent leader for the mass casualties caused.”

“Forget the ratings! He’s just a boy. You seriously can’t expect him to be able to deal with everything perfectly.”

“No, but I’m not in control about how the general populace feels. Revealing such information would only lead to riots and dissent.”

They went on like that, and by the end of the call, Leon was shouting down into the phone. His second-in-command wouldn’t budge. He had the approval of the other council members and in a rare move, they all decided to overrule Leon.

He ended the call. The ground beneath him was trembling, no, _he_ was trembling. He took a great gulp of air, his breaths coming out in wheezes, and he felt tears trickle from his short, trimmed beard to the underside of his chin.

* * *

“What’s gonna happen to our Pokémon? I’m worried about Edie and the rest of my team,” asked Hop as he slouched against the stone wall of the cell. He absent-mindedly drew patterns in the dust that coated the floor. Blue stayed standing, scouting every nook and cranny in the room. Mewtwo had teleported out of the room a while back, which prompted him to stay on guard so it wouldn’t catch them unaware again.

“Knowing them, they’ll either enslave or sell our Pokémon on the black market. If they can’t sell or they resist…” He trailed off, remembering a lone Cubone standing in front of a grave, its sniffles lost in the downpour of rain.

Hop slumped further, a strangled noise escaped him.

“We’ll get out of here before then, don’t wo-“ Blue yelped when Mewtwo blinked into existence by the door. “A warning next time!” It turned to him, the helmet made it impossible to tell what it was thinking.

Its left hand rested against the side of its torso. Hop peered closer.

“Hey, you’re hurt.” He jerked his head to the bright angry gash it was hiding. He grabbed his shoulder bag off the floor where the Rocket grunts had thrown it. They took only his Pokéballs and his Escape Rope, leaving the rest untouched. “Come here, I can heal that for you.”

“Kid,” Blue said in a low hiss, “what are you doing? That thing threw us around the room and you want to heal it?”

“That thing is still a Pokémon,” Hop muttered back, “and Mewtwo was only following orders. They haven’t hurt anyone else.” Said Pokémon stayed where it was, only now its head was slightly cocked to the side.

_You cannot trick me, human. If you attempt to escape, I…_

Hop pulled out a Max Potion from his bag and waved it. His easy smile washed away the sorrow and darkness on his complexion from the past few days, if only momentarily.

“No tricks, it’s just a potion. See?” He squeezed the trigger lightly and a fine mist sprayed out. Its acute senses picked up the sweet and somewhat bitter odor of medicine. It hovered forward, haltingly at first, but gave in and floated to where Hop’s arm stretched out from the cell bars.

Hop got to work, first spraying down the worst gash where fresh blood leaked out from and dried blood stuck around. The wound knitted itself back up and left a thin line where the skin had split open. He had it turn around, spraying at more minor injuries.

“How’d you get hurt anyway?” Hop asked as he healed a bruise on its elbow. Mewtwo didn’t respond. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me…and there, all done.” He looked at his handiwork with a gleam in his eyes.

Mewtwo touched the area that had caused it the most pain, only to feel soft unbroken flesh. It tilted its head once more.

_I could have used Recover on myself. Why did you go through all that trouble?_

“Yeah, but it’s not fair that Giovanni left you like that. People should help Pokémon, whether they’re their trainer or not.” He tossed the empty potion container into the bag. Mewtwo bowed its head in thought, then lifted it up.

 _…Thank you, human._ It drifted back over to its new guard spot by the door. _…That man experiments with my psychic power, to see what limits can be pushed. He has me fight wave after wave of unwilling Pokémon he’s captured._

Hop pushed down the bile that rose to his throat and gripped the thick steel bars of the cage. When they eventually escaped, he knew he would pay the team leader a special visit before doing so.

“When help arrives, I’ll see that you’re free of him forever.” Mewtwo crossed its arms and hovered against the wall. It let out a deep hum.

_I am not optimistic…but I yearn for that day._

Hop turned to Blue; instead of the disdain he expected to see on the latter’s face, the professor watched him with a smile instead. At Hop’s furrowed eyebrows and shrug, he chuckled.

“You remind me of a friend back home. She would never leave an injured Pokémon without helping them. Once during our own journey, she found a Mankey caught in a trap set by poachers. She carefully got the little guy freed and patched his foot up, she even let him sit on her shoulder so he wouldn’t have to walk. I guess you could say he’s her baby now, she coddles the damn thing as much as Red with Pikachu.” They both laughed. Mewtwo listened closely in on the story although it gave no indication it did.

The sound of footsteps echoed softly throughout the dungeon, growing louder as the source of it came closer. A pair of grunts, the same ones that Hop had knocked away at the entrance of the base, walked into the room. They still had marks from when Corviknight had scuffed them up. The tooth-picker grunt grinned nastily as he unlocked Hop’s cage.

“Alright, brat, you’re coming with us. The boss’ got special plans for you.” He yanked Hop by the arm and dragged him out of the cell. Hop glared at them and straightened himself up, yet didn’t move to attack them. The grunts ignored Blue’s protests and threats. The yawner grunt addressed Mewtwo with a sneer.

“Stay here and keep guard over the loud one and maybe the boss’ll go easy on you next time.” Mewtwo continued to stare straight ahead as if it hadn’t heard the grunt. He spat at its feet. “Come on, get moving!” They led the Champion out of the dungeon, and Hop had just enough time to look back at Blue and give him a reassuring smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with this weird little story so far!


	10. Symbiote

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop has an unpleasant encounter with a familiar Pokémon and Galar's strongest trainers take the battle to Team Rainbow Rocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the endgame now.
> 
> Warning: Mind Control, Possession

The second and third day of searching continued to prove fruitless. Any attempt to warn the public was met with the league council shutting them down and assuring the people that nothing was wrong. At that point, Leon didn’t feel like the chairman of anything anymore. On noon of the third day, the search party gathered around for a meeting in Sonia and Magnolia’s lab. The only gym leaders absent were Allister and Bea. Leon had let the kid stay beside Bea’s bedside as she recovered, though the ghost gym leader had lent them his Pokémon to aid in the search.

“Sis, w-what if we don’t find ‘im?” Victor asked Gloria while they waited for Leon to address them, tears already threatening to spill.

“Dinnae say that, ya big Sobble! We just…need to look harder, that’s all.” She swatted her brother on the arm. The clearing of Leon’s throat made her spin around to mask her own troubled thoughts brewing beneath the surface. They had to find their friend, she believed. Belief was all they had to keep them going now.

“Everyone, thank you again for coming out to search for Professor Oak and my little brother. I know we haven’t had much luck yet, but we can’t give up now.” Though tired, the group voiced their agreement.

Before Leon could go on further, a blip came from his Rotom phone. It jumped out of his pocket and hung in front of him.

“Brzzzt! Incoming call from: Hop! Would you-“

“Yes!” Leon took the phone and pressed the ‘Speaker’ button when the line went through. “Hop? Hop! Where are you? We’ve been worried sick!”

“Good afternoon, Champion Leon. I trust you’ve been well?” A voice completely unlike the one they were expecting filtered through the speaker. It was one though that Red would never forget. Through gritted teeth, he spat out “Giovanni”. A cold silence filled the lab.

“Excellent, you already know who I am and so you know the stakes involved in this.” Leon slammed his fist onto the table, causing it to creak and sway.

“What’s the purpose of kidnapping my brother and the professor? What do you want from us?” he demanded. Giovanni chuckled.

“Kidnapped? They showed up on my base on their own accord, though the boy admittedly did not bring Zacian as I asked him to.” Melony, Victor, and Milo all gasped. “I propose a trade. Give me Zacian and Zamazenta, for I know that girl from Postwick is with you, and I will give them back to you.” Gloria shot daggers at the phone and reached down for the Pokéball containing the legendary wolf. It shook at her touch.

“Hop would never bargain with you,” Leon scowled. “And how do we know to trust you?”

“Perhaps you’ll like to hear the truth from the Ponyta’s mouth himself, so to speak. I’ve even had the goodwill to pinpoint my base on your phones. I look forward to seeing you, Champion.” Giovanni ended the call, causing the phone to return to the lock screen. Rotom slipped back into Leon’s pocket.

Leon took a moment to process it all, as did the others, with a pensive, nigh unreadable look on him. He turned to Gloria.

“Do you think you can find Zacian?” Gloria nodded and brushed against Zamazenta’s Pokéball, which caused a piercing howl to ring from within it.

“Aye, Zama can sniff out their sib anywhere. Leave it to us, Lee.” Leon addressed the rest of the group.

“Be prepared, everybody. Team Rainbow Rocket’s not going to let us just walk in without a fight.”

* * *

Hop was unceremoniously thrown into a darker room than the dungeon that was just as spacious but had no discernable furniture or amenities. He spent a minute shouting and banging at the sealed door before giving up and feeling his way around. He kept one hand on the wall and the other reached out blindly.

“Hello? Is anyone else there?” A nearly inaudible rattle greeted him. “Where are you? I can’t see a thing in here…” His hand came in contact with a solid object. It was long and bumpy with wedges in between each hump and its texture was that of smooth metal. A distorted sound that resembled the rattle came from next to him and the long object shifted. He stumbled back when it coiled around, it took him a belated second to realize that he had touched a neck, and the neck was attached to a flat draconic, utterly alien head with a set of six white eyes that bore down on him.

“No…” Hop moved backward until his back touched the wall. The being inched closer, its eyes never leaving him. “E…Eternatus…please…”

A tidal wave of head-splitting pain and nausea struck him. His vision faltered, black spots appearing in places, then he saw the world in dim violet and red. His breaths came in short gasps and his own heartbeat drummed in his ears. He doubled over onto his knees, unable to lift his gaze up to the creature.

 _You are lonely too, I sense it,_ it spoke to him, whether it was in his mind or verbally, he couldn’t tell. _They kept me deep within the earth, then the humans unearthed me and brought me to that cramped stadium. Your peoples’ yells, my energy being sapped away to power their own Pokémon…it was torture._

A spasm rocked Hop and the screaming started. He scrabbled for purchase, for any part of it so he could plead for it to stop. Its needle claw found his hand first and laid a talon on it gently, almost lovingly. An invisible force prodded at his mind, worming itself in and picking it apart. In turn, he could see everything it saw, felt everything it felt.

A lush, foreign world. A trek into deep space. An asteroid. Pain. Coming to Earth by accident. A fierce battle with two wolves. Isolation deep underground. Chairman Rose chaining it up. Shouts, so many shouts. Cramped. Feeling weak. Triumphant roars above. Shaking.

_Poor child, much is expected of you. Humans do not cherish you. Let us go away, far away from this place._

No, he wanted to call to it. Amidst the pain spreading from his head to the bottom of his feet and the mesh of screams and sobs that ceaselessly tore at his throat, he couldn’t vocalize it.

 _Relax. Let me help you._ Its presence fully enveloped his being, two beings became one mind, and like that the pain suddenly stopped.

From outside, the grunts listened as their prisoner’s screams eventually died down. A grunt that had squirmed the whole time crept up to the door and listened for any other sound.

She jumped back when something heavy crashed into the door, creating a sizable dent, followed by a raging roar.

“T-That means it’s done, right? We just got to wait until boss gives us the orders?” asked another. None of them answered.

* * *

"My, looks as though that plaything of yours has gotten out of control..." Lusamine tutted. Beside her, Nihilego chimed gently and swayed. On the blue-lit screen, they watched as Team Rainbow Rocket grunts fled from a rampaging Eternatus and Hop. The room and sealed door that had kept them prisoner was completely blown apart.

"No matter. Mewtwo can neutralize it if needed," Giovanni said, sparing a dismissive glance to the silent feline standing in the shadows, "however, it pleases me to know the experiment was a success. That a monster like that could form a symbiotic relationship with its host in seconds is remarkable."

"Perhaps it's of similar ilk like my Nihil and the rest of my children." Lusamine thought back to earlier days, when the absence of her husband left a void in her heart. Now she couldn't imagine the notion of being separated from her Ultra Beasts when they neatly filled that void and more.

The cameras switched to a group of trainers homing in on the base.

"Ah, splendid. Lusamine, grab the others and give our visitors a proper welcome," said Giovanni. Lusamine's deceptively youthful doll-face twisted into a dark sneer, the ends of her lips stretching from ear to ear.

"I don't take orders from you, you old fool. But," she sighed blissfully and petted the top of her "child's" bulbous hat-like head, "my Nihil has been craving for blood and battle since we destroyed Motostoke. It's time we had a little fun, isn't that right, dear?" The Ultra Beast crooned and bobbed as its tentacle hairs snaked around her slender arm.

* * *

With Zacian, Zamazenta, and the full force of Galar’s top trainers, they raced to Team Rainbow Rocket’s hideout. The wolf siblings sprinted on land and water while Leon and his Charizard kept up with them. Behind, those with flying Pokémon acted as taxis for those without. Leon’s waist-length hair whipped behind him and he brought an arm up to shield himself from the onrush of deafening wind. His Charizard belted a roar that encouraged the other Pokémon to push on.

“Over there!” Kabu pointed out in the near distance where a small team of individuals awaited with their Pokémon out. The woman on the far left was encased in a giant jellyfish abomination with claws and eyes at the end of its tentacles. Where her hair was once a fair gold was now a midnight blue with yellow streaks.

“An Ultra Beast? Are you the one who sent those monsters to attack Motostoke?” Kabu took out his Sizzlipede. Its flat head reared up in challenge. Lusamine giggled, the gelatinous body she was in shivered at the motion.

“I see you’ve met my children. Beautiful, no?” Kabu dug his heels into the ground, a dazzling flame lighting up his aged features. He brought out Arcanine’s empty Pokéball, brought it up to his mouth, and kissed it.

“For you, old partner,” he whispered, “Sizzlipede, Fire Blast!” The centipede’s firebrand on its forehead grew brighter and hotter before unleashing a devastating ‘X’-shaped blast at the beast. Lusamine and it shrieked upon contact, its limbs flailing about.

Nessa and Milo took on Maxie and Archie respectively, though the leaders of Team Magma and Aqua battled half-heartedly. Melony and Gordie double-teamed against Cyrus, Marnie and Piers faced off against Lysandre, and Bede assisted Kabu.

“Go, you lot! We’ll catch up to you later!” Raihan shouted to Leon, Red, the twins, and the wolves. When they were a ways ahead, he eyed the ice dragon hunched by the man with the eyepatch. He released Duraludon from its ball.

“Lemme guess, you’re responsible for freezing my beloved city and killing _my_ people.” He flipped his hood up over his head, making the faux dragon teeth outlining it look as though it was swallowing him. Icy blue eyes, the same color as the icicles that tore through the city, peeked out from his shadowed face.

Ghetsis smirked, his remaining crimson eye narrowed in malice. He barked an order to Kyurem, kicking it in the side when it didn’t move. The blue and gray dragon lumbered towards its opponent. Raihan’s lips curled up into a feral, unrestrained grin that bordered on a snarl. The way the pupil-less beast cowed under the blow, the way it carried itself: it spoke a million words of the tyrant’s cruelty.

“So, you’re the famous Dragon gym leader of that wretched city.” Ghetsis tutted. “And you’ve brought a Dragon type to fight an Ice type? Kyurem, Blizzard!”

The hunched dragon’s jaw opened, revealing rows of glacier-thick fangs. A flurry of ice and snow poured from its open mouth, buffeting the tower-like Pokémon. Duraludon used his Heavy Metal ability to stay rooted to the earthy ground and prevent him from being blown back. When the ice storm subsided, he shook the frost off of him and awaited orders.

“How is that possible? That ice attack should’ve made quick work of it!” Ghetsis noticed the metallic sheen that Duraludon’s body gave off. “What _is_ that Pokémon?” Raihan’s back hunched similar to Kyurem, his gloved hands curled to mimic dragon claws, and he bared canines with battle lust written all over him. For a brief moment, he was one with his own Pokémon.

“Duraludon, _Flash Cannon!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I find the idea of Eternatus poisoning minds (geddit? cuz its a Poison type?) interesting. And its usually Leon getting controlled in stories so I wanted to change it up.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	11. A Broken Vessel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An internal battle between Hop and Eternatus ensues. Red looks for Blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aka: Brother vs. Brother
> 
> Warning: Blood and Gore, Major Injury

The interior of the base was deserted with no trace of man or Pokémon present. Zacian and Zamazenta sniffed the ground and the air, sometimes yipping at each other softly. Leon trailed after them, followed by Gloria and Victor. Red had gone off in search of Blue. Zacian stopped in its tracks mid-sniff, its velvety cyan fur raised on ends, and raised its behemoth sword in front of its sibling. It stared down the corridor, growling. Leon put a hand up to halt the twins. Victor pulled his sister behind him, though he shook more from the anticipation and fear than she did.

A grunt flew into view, impaled on the end of a stinger tail used as a sharp whip. He swung about, crying and gurgling out an off-putting pinkish and purple liquid. The tail released him and he flung into the wall with a crack. He stayed limp on the metal ground, the occasional twitching the only proof he still lived. A deathly rattle bounced off the walls. Charizard sensed what Zacian and Zamazenta sensed and made a keen distressed noise, smoke billowing out from his nostrils. Leon looked up at his starter, about to ask what was wrong, when he got his answer when two forms stepped around the corner.

“Lee.” Even in the spacious, dark stretch of hallway, a violet glow surrounded Hop’s form. Eternatus latched onto his back, its talons resting on his shoulders, and all six white eyes landed on Leon. It remembered him as the human who had tried to capture it, only to fail. Hop’s relaxed features twisted in confusion, like he forgot who he was and why he was there, before morphing into a death stare.

“No, I will not go back,” hissed Hop at the defensive wolf duo, “you will not lock me in that prison again!” Leon stepped forth, seeing only his little brother and nothing else, but Charizard pulled him back by the sleeve, growling out a warning.

“Hop? What…what did it do to you?”

“I have done nothing but liberate him from your kind’s influence. A broken child, a lonely child…your kind say you want to protect him, to love him, but that has brought him nothing but pain.” The words tumbled out of Hop’s mouth, wholly alien, and yet perhaps some part of him meant them. An ongoing struggle ensued; his face would relax into its chilly impassiveness, only to twist into confusion and despair the next moment.

Deep within his sub consciousness, Hop’s incorporeal form banged against the barrier separating his trapped soul from his body, pleading for Eternatus to release him.

 _Human,_ a voice reverberated endlessly throughout the walls of his mind, _that man’s control limits my power, though I will do all I can to help you break free._

“Mewtwo?” In response, he felt the barrier lessening little by little.

_You must fight back yourself. Listen, do you not hear the calls of your partner?_

Distantly, from another world, Zacian’s howls reached him, beckoning its human companion to return to it. Though he had no body, Hop teared up. He doubled down, smashing his fists away at the barrier, for just a semblance of control back.

“Why do you resist, little one? I can free us both, take us to a place where none can hurt us,” murmured Hop to seemingly no one. Gloria’s Cinderace juggled a pebble between her feet, letting it grow hotter and bigger until it resembled a flaming soccer ball. Victor’s Inteleon stood off to the side, just as conflicted as his trainer.

“Mate, come back to us, please,” Gloria said, her shoulders hunched and her voice wavering between steady and breaking. She gave the order and Cinderace kicked the fiery pebble right between Eternatus’ set of eyes. Eternatus recoiled back – at the same time, its host doubled over and covered his forehead with a strangled gasp. Leon sprang out in front of them, shielding his brother from any further attacks.

“Don’t hurt him!” He didn’t see the alien dragon’s stinger rise and shoot towards him with the speed of a torpedo. Zacian leapt and knocked away the tail in time with its sword. The tail sliced through the wolf’s haunches instead. It landed, favoring its other side with a whine.

“Lee, outta the way! That’s not yer bro anymore!” Gloria hesitated giving Cinderace another order, was there no other way to break Hop free but to hurt him?

“Leave him to me, please. I can…I can try to get through to him.” Leon’s firm stance and contrasting unguarded countenance tore at her until she agreed to leave Hop to him. From behind, Mewtwo and Giovanni approached them. The feline Pokémon was silent, a puppet to its master’s will. Team Rocket’s boss laughed and gestured for the twins to challenge him.

“Alright, we’ll deal with this auld bastard. Take care of Eternatus, Lee!” Gloria cracked her knuckles while Victor adjusted his beanie with a determined frown. Both Cinderace and Inteleon eagerly jumped at Mewtwo, glad to have an opponent they could attack without mercy.

* * *

Red sprinted down every winding hallway, searched through every room in the base for any sign of his friend. His lungs heaved with each pant and breath but kept pushing himself onward. Pikachu’s long, black-tipped ears perked up at a faint sound only he could hear. He jumped off Red’s shoulders and pointed to a stairway leading down with a squeak.

“Thanks, buddy,” Red said quietly. He and Pikachu jogged down the steps, hearing someone’s frantic calls grow louder. The bottom of the stairs led down a shorter corridor and turned into an open dungeon with cells lined up around the perimeter. At the very last one, Blue shook the bars with a vigor that matched his shouting.

“Holy Arceus, man! Took you long enough. Get me outta here!” Red wasted no time in sending out Charizard to melt the steel prison bars. Blue stepped away far enough to feel the heat reach out to tickle his skin. Once the steel melted and cooled down, Red jumped over and brought Blue into a bear hug.

“Good to see you too, pal,” said Blue with a light laugh, patting the broader man’s back as he felt Red’s nose dig into the crook of his neck. He ignored the dampness growing there and the tiny sniffling. He also tried to ignore the way the other was carding his hand through short brown hair softly.

“Worried ‘bout you,” Red grunted out, his voice thick, “…hurt?”

“Nah, I’m okay. Those Rocket idiots took the kid away though…” A sudden deep roar shook the very foundations of the building, causing Red to grip him tighter. Charizard griped at the two, its orange clawed foot tapping the ground. “C’mon, something’s going on up there and…” He went for the Pokéballs at his waist only to mentally slap himself. “I forgot they took my entire team.”

“Stay behind me then.” Red took him by the hand and they all made their way upstairs again. They went down the same hallway Red had ran through and into another hallway where two battles were simultaneously happening at the same time. Further away, Leon, his Charizard, and the legendary Pokémon of Galar were fending off an alien creature that sort of resembled a serpentine dragon.

Closer to them, Giovanni and his Mewtwo were battling the twins’ Pokémon. What damage caused to the genetically altered being soon vanished by its own healing ability. Red tipped the brim of his hat down, watching as his Charizard prepared to join in the fray.

“Like old times?” Blue asked, ribbing at his friend. Red wryly smiled.

“Like old times.”

* * *

In the midst of evading its tail and relying on Zacian, Zamazenta, and his Charizard to guard him, Leon tried to call out to Hop again.

“Hop, it’s me! Your big bro’s here now so everything’s going to be okay. Come back to us!” Zacian retaliated against the tail that cut its sibling’s paw by swinging its blade at Eternatus’ exposed ribcage. Its screech and Hop’s intermingled – the Champion dropped to one knee, a vivid scarlet spreading across his chest and soaked his shirt.

“No, don’t!” cried Leon. Zamazenta barked and its counterpart lifted a paw and backed down. Leon took out an Ultra Ball and brought his hand back to throw it.

“That will not work, not while he and I are one. Why do you stand in my way? You would hurt this child in your delusions to ‘help’ him?” Eternatus asked through his mouth, in his voice. His face contorted and his lips quivered. Leon saw Hop for an instance. The younger man’s mouth worked against him as he attempted to form and string a sentence.

“L…L-Leeee…” Hop bit out, “k-ki…kill…meeee?” He grasped the sides of his head with his hands, nearly pulling out tufts of hair and digging fingertips into his scalp, and savagely flailed about. Sclera and pupil tainted a matching violet and red hue leaked tear droplets.

“No! No, c’mon, you’ve gotta fight this!”

‘Arceus, Mew, whoever’s listening, please, please help him!’ he prayed.

“Lee…” Eternatus lashed out, this time more wildly. Zamazenta’s shield-like plating blocked it.

At once, something shifted in Hop. Some of the golden luster returned to his eyes and aura surrounding him and Eternatus dimmed. Leon’s heart was ready to leap out of his chest. Had he finally gotten through?

Hop smiled, a sad smile, and though his limbs quaked, he maintained an even posture. He mouthed a few words that sent Leon’s heart plummeting back down.

“I’m sorry.”

Eternatus’ tail shot forth against its will, piercing his host’s abdomen with lightning fast precision. It erupted out from the other end in a shower of human blood and alien venom; flecks dripped onto Leon’s face. Its rattling turned into a shriek of denial, of rage at losing its host and freedom.

Hop hung like a rag-doll, limp and unassuming, before the tail retracted and he crumpled into a pile of blood and splayed limbs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh...i can explain.


	12. Repaid Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone helps in Hop and Leon's time of need. Meanwhile, back in Hammerlocke...

A beat passed, and another, and Leon shut down.

His screams went unheard amongst Charizard’s own despaired bellows and Zacian’s howling. A gaping, bleeding hole appeared in Eternatus' belly, in the same area as its former host. Charizard lunged towards its fleeing, mortally wounded form.

In the scuffle, Red’s Charizard had torn off Mewtwo’s helmet limiter, leaving it on the floor in separate pieces. Its revealed amethyst eyes blinked and glowed as it sent Giovanni careening into the ceiling first and then the wall.

The battle over, they watched Leon sag to the floor and drape himself over his convulsing, bleeding brother. Violet bile dribbled from Hop’s mouth. They watched as Leon begged him not leave him, as great, heavy sobs wracked his frame. They watched Hop lift a shaking blood-soaked hand to rub slow circles on Leon’s back, to comfort him. The twins cried and Red and Blue had their heads bowed, the latter trying his damndest to hold his tears in.

And then Mewtwo floated over, close enough to bend down and touch the dying man.

_Let me see him._

Leon snapped at it, covering Hop with his body. He continued to wail, though his scorched throat reduced it to muffled groans.

_I can heal him._

His breathing hitched, and he looked up at Mewtwo, face dripping and the edge of his eyes puffy. He leaned back, no longer covering his brother entirely, but squeezed his hand in an iron grip. Hop curled his fingers around his in return.

“P…Please help him,” Leon managed in a hoarse whisper. Mewtwo kneeled by Hop, moving its three-fingered hand above his body. The tips shone a resplendent pink, a different, healthier hue than Eternatus’ sickly color.

It searched the young man’s mind and soul, using Psychic to eliminate any dredges of Eternatus’ corruption. Some dredges in his soul were too deeply ingrained to be destroyed completely, so it suppressed the poison as much as possible. Then it went about closing the jagged hole in his stomach. Sweat glistened down the curve of Mewtwo’s neck as it strained to keep up with the healing. Only when the skin stitched up and blood pumped through the area again that it stopped, energy spent. It placed two round fingers to his neck and felt his pulse steady and acute hearing picked up his breaths evening out in a rhythm.

Mewtwo craned a weary head to Leon, who waited with baited breath and had the same golden eyes as the young human who looked at its wretched form kindly. It nodded once.

_He will live._

Leon’s breath released in a choked sob. Tears he didn’t know he had left in him poured again. Hop’s grip on his hand grew tighter, stronger.

“Lee…” he mumbled, drifting off to a peaceful slumber when he felt a pair of warm lips on his forehead.

“Thank you!” Leon repeated the same words under his breath as he gingerly lifted Hop’s head onto his lap. Slowly, Victor and Gloria made their way over and Zacian and Charizard joined in the huddle too.

“It’s okay, you know,” Red said with a tender smile to his companion who scrubbed at his eyes. Blue huffed and turned away.

“Fuck off, Red! I ain’t even crying!”

When the gym leaders arrived, most of them were confused at the sight. Only Raihan saw the unconscious Eternatus in the back, and only he noticed a puddle of pink venom around Hop.

* * *

She listened to tales of the lonely Gengar who found a friend and of a child’s rendition of The Sleeping Beauty, who had pricked her finger upon a spindle and fell into a cursed slumber thanks to a malevolent Gardevoir.

She heard him ramble about finally finding Hop, though she couldn’t fathom why they had to look for their Champion in the first place.

Then came the hiccups and a warmness that covered the top of her hand. Sis, the voice said, sis, come back. She tried her left side, a slight movement, then her right, same. Her eyelids pried open, and shut again when a blinding white light assaulted her vision. She mumbled.

“Bea?” She opened them once more, a blur of whites, yellows, and purple and black next to the bed greeted her. A boy no more than thirteen sat by her, watching her with familiar ghostly lavender pupils.

“Al…what happened to your mask?”

For the first time in a few days, he realized that he had lost his oval mask in Hammerlocke. Without it, he looked the scared child he always felt. Now, it didn’t seem as important.

He hugged the side where she hadn’t been hit and cried.

* * *

In another ward, Hop awoke to Leon’s head sprawled over the bedsheets. To the right side of the room, Gloria and Victor took up one couch; Gloria had her foot in Victor’s face while his leg rested over her stomach.

Every part of him ached, his limbs felt like weighted lead, and when he shifted, his abdomen protested at the movement. An uncomfortable noise escaped him, which roused Leon from his light slumber. The older of the two sucked up the drool that nearly left his mouth and peered up to a dazed but very awake Hop.

“Hop!” Victor and Gloria startled awake too, the former falling off the couch in the process. They crowded around him, wanting, but not touching him as though he were a fragile item.

“What’s…” He slurred, grogginess still clouding his brain. “…happened? Edie? Blue?”

“Dinnae worry, we’ve got yer team back, Hoppy. ‘n the prof’s doin’ well too, worried ‘bout ya though,” said Gloria. Hop nodded, too tired to say anything else.

“Sleep, baby bro,” Leon said. He felt the same pair of lips press against his forehead and fell back to sleep.

Later, Red walked in holding a giant Wooloo plush and Blue with a box of truffles. Raihan almost tackled the bedridden champ with a hug when he visited. Visitors came by when he was alert and awake, each giving him their well wishes. When Allister stopped by to give him the good news about Bea, Hop had promised to visit her when he could walk again.

Between visits, he learned from Leon that Giovanni had been whisked away by Mewtwo to somewhere unknown. Mewtwo returned alone.

The leaders of Team Magma and Aqua surrendered willingly, already having plans to ditch Team Rainbow Rocket. Cyrus was apprehended, but the other three: Lusamine, Ghetsis, and Lysandre all managed to escape back to their own worlds.

“What happened to Mewtwo and Eternatus?” he asked Leon when all the visitors had left for the day. He noticed that Leon now seldom went without holding his hand – he didn’t mind it, and even if he assured his brother he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, he knew it wouldn’t dissuade him in the least.

“Mewtwo…said they needed to talk to you one last time, so they chose a secluded area to stay in for the time being. Eternatus,” Leon’s expression grew dire, he woke one too many times seeing those hateful claws latching onto Hop, “is back under Hammerlocke Stadium, where it should be.”

To his surprise, Hop grew visibly distressed.

“No…we…we shouldn’t keep them there,” he said, gripping the sheets tightly with his fists. “I saw them, Lee, I saw what they felt, how they came to our world. They’re just like Mewtwo: misunderstood and lonely.”

“It _poisoned_ you, Hop. If we let it free, it’ll just do the same to others.” Hop shook his head insistently.

“I think I can still communicate with them. Please, Lee, Eternatus was only lashing out because they felt they had no other option.” Leon searched him for any remaining sign of corruption from the draconic Pokémon, and when he found none, sighed and relented.

“Okay, but if you’re letting Eternatus go, then I’ll be there too.”

Hop smiled tiredly and nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No way Hop's gonna die!
> 
> Also, Mewtwo normally doesn't have Heal Pulse or any healing move that heals others, but since Psychic is super-effective against Poison types, I figured their powers would heal poison anyway.


	13. Hard Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much needed conversations are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a.k.a. adults finally learn how to communicate!

_Good to see you well, human._

Hop startled from the book he was reading. Mewtwo teleported at the door with nary a sound. He closed the title: “Legends of Sinnoh”, and placed it on the stand by the hospital bed.

“Geez, give me a heart attack, why don’t ya? I’m sure Lee’d appreciate that.” Mewtwo didn’t laugh or get angry, it merely tilted its head. Before it could check whether his heart had really stopped, he added, “Don’t worry, just a joke.” He assumed a more serious demeanor by straightening his back. “Thank you for what you did. Lee, Glo, and Vic filled me on the details. I heard you took Giovanni somewhere. What did you do to him?”

_You need not worry, for that man will never hurt anyone again._

“Fair enough. Where will you go now?”

_I’ve caught wind of a secret meadow in Kalos where Pokémon abused by humans have made their home. I would like to travel there and care for them._

Hop hummed, picturing such a place where tall grass hid Pokémon from prying eyes, where all the members of the community took care of each other and welcomed new additions with open arms. He imagined a bright, open field where they could frolic and play to their heart’s content.

“That sounds like a lovely place.”

 _Before I leave, I should warn you about the alien’s poison. I was able to expel most of it out of your system, but some of it remained so tightly lodged in your soul that were I to attempt to destroy it, I would risk damaging you beyond repair. I’ve warned your brother about this._ Mewtwo glanced at the Pokéballs on the stand. _Keep Zacian with you – they will counteract the poison should it start to grow. And…do not hesitate to call me should a problem arise._

A true genuine smile graced his youthful features.

“Thanks again, Mewtwo, and I’m glad I was right about there being no bad Pokémon.”

_If only I had met you sooner, I would have realized that not all humans are bad either._

* * *

For the whole day, Red gave him the silent treatment. To most, that was normal because Red didn’t usually talk much around others, but to Blue, it was downright eerie. The guy barely grunted when answering let alone talked to him in full sentences.

‘He knows I went off on my own without telling him,’ he thought, ‘he’s mad, his Pikachu’s mad, and he’ll never want to see me again and-‘

Blue marched up to the trainer, who took out a pair of Pikachu socks from his suitcase. During their extended stay in Galar, the league had given them the best rooms in Wyndon’s finest hotel.

“Red,” he began, already fidgeting the hem of his souvenir tee, “look, man, I know you’re angry at me for running off in the middle of the night. In all honesty, I’d be mad if you did the same.” Red paused, looked at Pikachu, who nodded sagely, and then gazed up at Blue with stony brown eyes.

“Not angry,” he replied, zipping the suitcase back up, “just disappointed.”

“Shit, that’s worse. I’m sorry, I really am. I promise to not do it again, and if you ever get tired of me-“ Red abruptly stood up and latched onto his arm.

“Tired?” He searched Blue’s face for any sign of humor, knowing the man, only to find him reddening and on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. “What makes you think I’ll get tired of you?”

“Don’t play dumb, I know I’m tiring to be around sometimes…usually,” he amended when Red lifted an eyebrow, “and it’s only ‘cuz people can’t stand how great I am!” Now he was just stroking his own ego at that point. “But you’ve always stuck around, especially after you left that damned mountain, and…”

“You think I’ll leave you?”

“Why not?” Blue laughed, a shrill sound that bordered on hysterical. “Did you forget what I said to you when you became Champion? Or when I ordered my Squirtle to bite down on your Charmander till he bled? Or-"

“Shut up.”

Blue’s brain crashed and rebooted itself. Why was Red’s lips on his? Was he mocking him?

‘No, he’s got a dry sense of humor, and it doesn’t involve this.’

Red gently pulled away. Blue was still in the process of processing it all.

“So, you don’t hate me?” Red groaned and slapped his forehead with a hand. Somewhere, they heard Pikachu squeaking in laughter.

“Talk to me next time instead of assuming something stupid like that.” Red threw Blue’s toothbrush at him. “Brush your teeth. Your breath smells.” Blue stuck his tongue out at him but did as he was told.

“Smell ya later!” He added with a wink before closing the bathroom door.

Red rolled his eyes.

* * *

“I’m sorry, Lee.”

For the past half hour, the only sound that filled the room was the scratching of pen against paper. Leon looked up from his paperwork. The league council decided they couldn’t afford their chairman to dally even as he overlooked his brother’s recovery, so they sent him a tower of papers to read and sign. They even sent a note expressing their profound relief that the Champion was found.

Except for some pain left in his abdomen, Hop could walk and do basic exercises for a time. It wouldn’t be long until he was discharged from the hospital.

“What for, Hopscotch?” The old childhood nickname. He hadn’t heard that since Leon won the Champion Cup. Hoppy was new and unsentimental, Hopscotch was a tattered yet well-loved old blanket.

It stung. He didn’t deserve it.

“I knew about the danger the whole time. Before Motostoke, Giovanni demanded I give him Zacian and Eternatus. And when I refused, he threatened to use the Ultra Beasts to change my mind. I…” He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry and tight. “I didn’t think much of it. Then the attack happened and I bargained with him in the end and…”

Leon listened, his hands resting neatly on his lap. His face betrayed no emotion.

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

Hop shrugged weakly. At that moment, anyplace was a better place to look than at his brother’s potentially disappointed face.

“I didn’t want to burden you, Lee, not when you were so busy. And I’m the Champion, a lot of people already think I’m weak so what would they say if they knew I couldn’t do anything by myself?”

Tears began to slowly slide down his face.

“I just wanted to be strong like you, as independent as you.” When someone stood in the shadows too long and gazed up at their idol, they tended to see the image and not the person.

Leon set aside his paperwork to stand up and walk over to his bedside. He took Hop into his arms and let him cry into his shoulder, expensive tailcoat be damned. As he did when his brother was a fussy baby, he rocked him back and forth and hushed him. It took a blink for tears to pool at the bottom of Leon’s eyelids.

“I didn’t mean…oh, Hopscotch, I’m so sorry. I only wanted to inspire you with my ‘unbeatable’ persona, but I didn’t think it would create such unrealistic standards for you and the public. The truth is: I was afraid to show weakness too, that if I did, you would lose faith in me and hate me. I felt the same after you became Champion.”

“…Wouldn’t leave or hate ya ever.” Hop sniffled.

“I know, but that didn’t stop me from fearing.” He held his brother out with a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a tissue to wipe his face. “I’ve been Champion Leon for far too long and not Big Brother Leon to you, and it’s time I changed that. Don’t be afraid to ask me or anyone else for help from now on, alright? You remember the stories about Galarian rulers in the past? They couldn’t rule properly without their people and advisors.”

Hop laughed through the tears, he recollected memories of Leon narrating the heroic exploits of past queens and kings through theatrical gestures as his four-year old self listened wide-eyed and halfway under the blanket.

“Thanks, Lee. Before Glo and Vic, you were the only one who saw me as a person, not an achievement.” He felt the hand touching his shoulder tense and curl, not enough to cause pain but enough to be noticeable. Chancing a glance up at his brother’s face, he found it blank and drained of color.

“W-What about Mum and Granddad?” Leon asked with a nervous smile. It struck Hop that for being normally perceptive people, him and his brother could be oblivious at times.

“I suppose they’ve finally put up my pictures and awards when I became Champion, so that’s something, right?” He told Leon about what he stumbled across in the closet all those years ago, about confronting their mother about it, and how she stared through him.

Leon teetered slightly, as though he was going to fall from shock.

“I love Mum and Granddad, Lee, I do, but I’m scared that when I lose my Champion title, they’ll go back to ignoring me.” He had a rooftop over his head and warm meals growing up. That was enough, right?

“That’s not fair to you at all!” His confession only made Leon hug him tighter. “I didn’t know, but I should’ve noticed. If going home is too painful, why don’t you stay at my place in Wyndon for a while? I’ll talk to Mum, maybe she and Granddad will come around.”

“Thanks, Lee. I’d appreciate that.”

When Leon left the hospital after visiting hours were over, he found Sonia, Nessa, and Raihan waiting for him at the entrance.

“All settled?” asked Nessa.

“Yeah, thanks for waiting. Hop’s told me everything on his mind, I did the same, and we’re gonna work on making things better. How long did you all know about this in the first place?”

“Couple years now. We just…didn’t know how to approach you about it,” said Sonia, averting her gaze abashedly. Leon waved it off.

“Oi, let’s grab a pint to celebrate Hoppy’s return and the rebuilding efforts! Drinks are on Lee!” Raihan suggested, laughing when Leon turned a disgruntled look on him.

The four friends bickered and joked all the way to the pub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter for the main story! Then some extras :)


	14. Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Champion Cup rolls around again. Hop and a certain Pokémon find a new lease on life.

For exactly five seconds straight, silence followed the thump of Inteleon’s body as it slumped onto the grassy field. Up on the scoreboard that overlooked the stadium, a bold-lettered “Critical Hit!” flashed next to the portrait of his opponent, Duraludon. The silence was broken as the slim blue chameleon warped back into its Pokéball in a flash of white light. Hop stared down at the now-occupied ball in a blank stupor before he grinned broadly. Confetti began raining down the arena and cheers erupted from the audience.

“I may not be Champion anymore,” he called to his opponent and the crowd, “but I couldn’t have asked for a better battle or a better opponent to end my reign. Congratulations, Raihan!”

Duraludon nudged his slack-jawed his trainer with a short arm. Raihan recovered, letting out a loud whoop and bringing the shorter man into a twirling hug. Sonia and Nessa held up a sign with both their names on it and Leon jumped onto the pitch to join in the hug.

“Dude that was a crazy battle! I can’t wait ‘till we go against them!” Blue shook Red vigorously, still feeling the adrenaline over witnessing two Dynamaxed Pokémon battling each other. The Champion Cup and their promised match was pushed back until the rebuilding was nearly finished. As expected, the wait had stoked the fans’ enthusiasm.

Red smiled. He couldn’t wait to battle them either.

In the locker room, after the crowning ceremony and the selfies, it was just Leon, Hop, and Raihan. The brothers’ mum and granddad disappeared from the stands without a word to the now-former Champion, but Hop found he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore, not when Leon looked at him with such pride.

“Congratulations, Rai. It only took you fifteen years to nab that title,” he ribbed his rival. Hop covered his mouth and snorted while Raihan gave a sharp-toothed grin, a mix between predatory and cockiness.

“And it made it all damn worth it in the end! Don’t get complacent, Lee, I’m still gonna best you one day.”

“Of course, wouldn’t have it any other way from my best rival.”

“Lee, are you really resigning from the league? You and Rai would make a brilliant team, you know.” Hop frowned. Leon scratched the back of his head where wild tufts of lilac hair popped up.

“Well…yeah. I already sent in my letter of resignation and I’m sure the league council-“

“Fuck the league council!” Raihan blurted, “I’m the Champion now, so the first thing I’m gonna do is fire all those incompetent tossers! I don’t even care if I’m not allowed to! Then we’ll bring in people who actually care about Galar’s best interests. C’mon, Lee,” he said as he held out a hand, “I need you as the Chairman to make these changes. I’d accept no one else in the position.”

Leon thought about it, a finger tapping his chin. He accepted Raihan’s offer with a firm, lasting handshake.

“I won’t be as demanding of you as the league council, either,” Raihan said as slung an arm around his shoulder, “if you need some time off, then take it. Spend it with Hop, me, whomever. Just don’t go working until you collapse, got it?”

“Got it. Thanks a bunch, Rai.”

* * *

They trekked through an open plain far from the touch of civilization. Dandelions swayed in the cooling breeze, brushing up against their legs as grass and dirt crunched under their shoes. They slowed to a stop in the center.

“Here should be good,” said Hop. He took out a single Pokéball and rolled it deftly in his hand. Leon backed up until he was about ten paces away.

“Be careful, Hopscotch. If you need help, just holler,” said Leon. Hop nodded and with a swing, threw the Pokéball into the air.

Eternatus’ materialized in front of him in a flash of light. It swiveled its flat head unhurriedly at the landscape surrounding it. When it came to its former host, it stared at him with all six white eyes blinking simultaneously.

 _Child, you are unhurt,_ it said. Hop stole a glance at Leon to see whether he could hear the dragon’s voice as well; his brother’s posture had stiffened when he released Eternatus from the Pokéball, but gave no shock or indication that he had heard it talk. Eternatus followed his line of sight and when it spotted the man who sabotaged it and its host, it rattled dangerously and placed itself in front of Hop. Leon’s face blackened into a glower, already reaching for his Pokémon in challenge.

“Eternatus, wait!” Its hiss died down and instead rumbled, a sound that vibrated from its ribcage. It lowered its talons, diverting its attention back to Hop. “Lee’s not here to hurt or capture you, I swear. He’s just worried about me.”

 _Worried? But he made you miserable, did he not? You wanted an escape from your pain and troubles._ Hop bit his lip lightly, careful not to draw blood.

“No…it’s complicated. I only wanted to be seen as strong as him, and other people expected that of me too. So I guess you could say this all goes back to my big bro, but!” he interrupted before it misinterpreted that as an accusation, “he’s been nothing but supportive of me this whole time. Lee never pushed me to aim for perfection – that was entirely my doing.”

 _Big…bro? Lee…you talk of him so fondly. And your thoughts are so as well_. It seemed to struggle to grasp such familial connections, and perhaps that was as alien to it as it appeared to people. _Perhaps I was wrong then._

Eternatus scanned its former host top to bottom, its gaze lingering on his stomach where its tail had pierced it. It lowered its wide head.

 _Forgive me, child. I’ve hurt you._ Hop shook his head with a small smile and patted the space in between its eyes, where its forehead would be. It leaned into the gesture.

“I’m all right now, so don’t worry about it. I felt the cold loneliness of being underneath the stadium when you took over, and to make things right, I’m letting you go.”

_…Go?_

Hop held up the empty Pokéball, and chucked it as far as he could across the stretch of land. It bounced some way off next to a tree.

“You’re free, Eternatus. Go back home, wherever that may be.”

 _Home…I have not been there in eons. Perhaps some of my kin still live._ It leaned into Hop’s touch again. _Thank you, child. I will not forget this act of kindness._

“Goodbye, Eternatus. Have a safe journey.”

The purple and pink dragon levitated higher and while it did, it locked eyes with Leon’s astonished ones, and gave him a single nod. Then, like a rocket, it shot off upwards until it became a twinkle in the sky, departing for places no man or Pokémon had ever reached.

Hop felt slightly empty as if a piece of him had detached and flew away too. It must’ve shown on his face for Leon had placed a warm hand on his shoulder.

“You were right, little bro. Eternatus just wanted to go home all this time. How’re you feeling?” He wondered if Hop looking vacantly out the window during his stay in the hospital had anything to do with the creature.

Hop sighed. A release of breath after a long drag of air left him feeling lighter, freer. He turned a bright smile to him.

“A little sad, oddly, but also…happy. I dunno.” He still wasn’t great with expressing such things, but Leon told them that they would get plenty of practice with their upcoming therapy session. “It’s gonna be weird without Dynamax though. We’ve got, what, another couple of years until the remaining energy dries up?”

“Yeah, then we’ll all be on Piers’ and Marnie’s playing field.” Leon laughed. “Maybe a return to old-fashioned battles isn’t so bad.”

“Then we gotta start training harder then, to keep up with them! C’mon, Lee, let’s have a battle! We need to be in top form for the upcoming match against Red and Blue.” Hop lightly slapped his cheeks in preparation, steeled his gaze, and brandished Edie’s Pokéball.

“Of course, little bro. You’re on!”

Together, they threw their Pokéballs in perfect sync.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! Mostly. Thank you to anyone who stuck with this story! To be honest, I didn't think anyone would want to read it lol.
> 
> g̶e̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶y̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶n̶u̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶g̶s̶t̶ ̶n̶e̶x̶t̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶p̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶:̶)̶


	15. Bad Ending: Eternal Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate ending to the battle in Team Rainbow Rocket's base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh....so I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this because it might ruin the happy ending, but the idea wouldn't go away so...
> 
> Read on if you want to have a bad time!
> 
> Warning: Major Character Death (obviously), Blood and Gore

_It is pointless, human. There is nothing I can at this point. He is far too gone to save…_

Purple veins ran beneath Hop’s paling, cooling skin. His breaths came out in ragged, uneven wheezes. Searing pain that had gripped his abdomen now dulled to a throbbing ache. Leon hunched over his prone form, desperately trying to cover the gaping stomach wound with cloth and his hands. His brother’s blood seeped through nonetheless, staining them.

“Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me, Hopscotch, I’m sorry for not being there when you needed me to be, I promise I’ll…” he rambled on, his speech breaking when Hop weakly lifted his hand to clasp Leon’s. The younger man shook his head in short movements and moved his hand away, causing blood to gush out faster.

He managed what he hoped was an assuring smile despite the gore, and gave Leon’s hand a light squeeze. His dimmed golden eyes fluttered shut and his jagged breathing slowed.

When his chest stopped rising, the grip on Leon’s hand went slack.

His baby brother laid beside him, cold, unmoving, lonely. Reaching over, he pressed heated, trembling lips to a chilly forehead. A droplet fell onto Hop’s cheek, then another, until they had washed away the venom and blood staining it. For a minute, only the sound of Gloria and Victor sobbing echoed throughout the base. Zacian padded over to its chosen trainer’s side and, with a whimper, laid its head on his chest.

Then from behind Leon, he heard Team Rainbow Rocket’s boss stirring and groaning. Giovanni stood up, gripping his head where Mewtwo had thrown him into the wall.

“You good-for-nothing failure!” he snarled at it, “The boy’s finally dead, so make yourself useful and kill the brother!”

Mewtwo remained still, looking away from its former trainer. While Giovanni remained oblivious, they all watched Leon rise like a ghost from the corpse’s side. His bangs shielded his eyes and his back hunched forward.

“Blitz,” he growled out to his Charizard, who had finished beating Eternatus into submission, “use Crunch.”

Charizard’s wings shot out and with a mighty roar, he soared towards Pokémon and master. Giovanni whirled around and saw rows of sharp fangs homing in.

“Mewtwo, Psychic!” Mewtwo simply looked at him. “You-“ He didn’t have enough time to call out another Pokémon. Charizard blitzed right past Mewtwo and clamped down on the man’s soft neck.

Giovanni’s scream came out as a gurgle as blood burst from his punctured flesh and arteries ruptured. The orange lizard bit down harder, his fangs scraped against white bone and snapped it in two. While Mewtwo looked on impassively, Blue turned a vivid shade of green, Red kept his own body in front of him as a barrier, and the twins screamed in horror.

Eventually, the boss’ kicks and spasms died down, leaving him hanging limply in Charizard’s crimson-stained mouth.

That was how the gym leaders found them: Charizard’s jaws crunching on bone, Blue on the verge of fainting, and Leon standing in front of Hop’s pale body, his lips a neutral line but eyes glazed over in insanity.

* * *

Edelweiss trotted over to him, softly headbutting his trainer’s brother in the leg. He bleated when Leon’s head listlessly turned to him. All of Hop’s Pokémon had been recovered from Team Rainbow Rocket’s base, and almost all of them knew what had befallen their trainer.

Edie’s nose twitched at the smell of unwashed clothes and body odor. He remembered his trainer’s brother being tidier than this. He had always been well-groomed and sharply dressed; now, his hair fell in clumps around him and his pajamas reeked of alcohol.

Why hadn’t his trainer told Leon to take a shower?

On the nightstand was a photo of brothers grinning broadly. The older pumped his fist in the air and had an arm around the younger’s shoulders. Edie leaned over, nudging the picture frame with his nose.

“He’s gone, Edie…” Leon whispered hoarsely after days of silence and grieving. The Dubwool tilted his gray and black head. “He’s dead, Hop’s never coming back…”

Edie baaed lowly and tears gathered in his rectangular sheep eyes. Leon tentatively stretched a hand out to ruffle fluffy, wavy fur, the way Hop petted him when he felt upset. It had the same texture as the fur on Hop’s jacket. Edie scooted closer.

Slowly, he laid his head onto the fur and started to sob openly. Leon’s arms encircled around the round ball of wool and pulled Edie in for a hug. He imagined he was hugging his brother and that the Pokémon’s wool was the fur on Hop’s jacket that tickled his nose and forehead.

They stayed like that for some time. Edie looked up at Leon and crinkled his nose. His head butted at his soiled shirt and he bleated. Despite it all, Leon chuckled.

“Is that your way of telling me to wash myself? Hop’d say the same if he was here.” He stood up with a wobble and before he left the room to take a shower, he petted Edie one more time.

When Raihan came to visit, he still looked gaunt and pale, but at least he was clean.

* * *

‘Smile big for the camera. Look like you adore them, Leon.’

Leon greeted everyone at the league headquarters upon returning from months of bereavement. He dressed in his usual expensive tailcoat and white slacks, had his long, wild hair groomed as usual, and unusually given the circumstance, he had a kind, polite smile on his face. Despite the well-wishes and questions, his smile never wavered, and it still didn’t when the league council expressed their condolences. Their aged faces contorted in pity, their words were soft and respectful.

He considered them all responsible for Hop’s death too. However, he blamed no one more than himself.

Leon looked at them with their cloying sentiment, their clasping hands, and wondered which of them should die first.

* * *

Darkness.

For eons, since its doomed encounter with the wolves of Galar, Eternatus had known nothing but it. Only the dimly lit blue light of the machines surrounding it kept it company. Then it had tasted a hint of freedom, twice, only to have it dashed and be brought back to its cramped prison. Only this prison was new, not the one underneath the stadium.

It heard the whir of mechanisms and gears turning, and a near-blinding light chased away the shadows. Its former host’s brother, the man who tried to catch it once, stepped through the door. Where was its former host? The events at the base came to it in bits and pieces.

It vaguely recalled being one with the child, and the child resisting, and then…blood. It tried to flee but an orange dragon had beaten it down.

“Not too cramped, I hope?” he asked it, glancing around the small sterile lab with feigned interest.

Eternatus shrieked, feeling for its host, but finding no link. The connection was completely severed. It slammed its head against the glass of its prison only to bounce back.

Leon walked up to the cage separating him and the alien creature. A grim smile and a sharp, malicious glint replaced his cheery demeanor. He tapped the tip of his finger against the glass.

“It’s durable enough to withstand one of your attacks.”

Eternatus’ shrieking morphed into an equally high-pitched noise that sounded a little too much like distorted wailing. Its flat head bowed and its six eyes shut tightly. Leon watched it wide-eyed as a hot fire bubbled in his chest and his body shook.

“No,” he seethed and leaned in closer, his voice remaining but a whisper, “no, _you_ took him away from me. You have no right to feel sorry for yourself.” It tried to squirm into his thoughts, to convey what it wanted to say, only to be pushed back.

“Think of it this way: you’ll be doing the citizens of Galar a favor. You’ll be powering their homes and providing energy for Dynamaxed battles for the next thousand years.” Then, he patted the glass fondly.

“Don’t get too lonely. I’ll check on you later.”

With that, Leon turned around, the ends of his tailcoat snapping behind him, and left the lab. The door shut, leaving Eternatus in darkness again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next one is a bonus chapter, and much more light-hearted.


	16. Bonus: A New Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop meets two cops who are on Team Rainbow Rocket's trail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring a few characters from previous games!

“I must thank you, Champion, for taking the time to hear us out. We’ll only take a minute of your time, or perhaps ten minutes,” the detective said to Hop.

They sat at a white table on the bottom floor of the Wedgehurst Pokémon lab. Across from him, the man who addressed him and a woman both looked at him, hands folded neatly.

“Hey, no worries. I’m not the Champion anymore, though, so just call me Hop…um…?”

“Looker is my name, it is what everyone calls me,” he said in a slight accent that sounded almost Sinnohsian. His dark brown eyes crinkled as he shook hands Hop. After, the woman did the same. Her lighter and longer purple hair bobbed at the motion.

“And I am Anabel,” she said in a Hoennese lilt, “we work for the Interdimensional Police. Our goal is to stop organizations such as Team Rainbow Rocket from invading other worlds.”

“Inter…dimensional? Other worlds?” Hop crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow.

“Hm? Of course. The professor, the one with the long orange hair, she briefed you on Team Rainbow Rocket’s past invasion on Alola, did she not?” asked Looker, scratching at the stubble on his chin. Sonia did, though at the time Hop admitted he wasn’t in the best state of mind to process such information.

“Aren’t you an offshoot of the International Police?”

“Ah, those organizations only deal with problems on their own worlds,” Anabel explained, “every world that we’ve come across has an International Police. The Anabel from this world works for them perhaps, or perhaps she doesn’t…either way, we are a team composed from many different timelines.”

Hop closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side as he took in what she said. He opened them and shrugged.

“Well, if I hadn’t already dealt with Team Rainbow Rocket, I would’ve thought all of this rubbish. I believe you anyway, go on.” He nodded again.

“I thank you again for putting your trust in us. You see, young Hop, we are trying to track down the remnants of Giovanni’s team. They have harnessed and modified stolen technology from the Aether Foundation that lets them travel between worlds at will. Disastrous, I must say, for they can warp back here even after being defeated.” Looker brushed a hand through his cropped chocolate-colored hair.

“We’ve come to you with a proposition,” Anabel continued. “Since you have experience in fighting them, we ask that you help us fight back the remaining members of Team Rainbow Rocket.”

Hop’s eyes became as wide as dinner plates and his hands gripped at the edge of the table.

“M-Me? But I…I almost died! I didn’t even fight the other members…are you having a laugh right now?” Neither had the telltale smirk nor sideway glance that told him it was all a joke. “Blimey, you’re serious.”

“It is of the utmost seriousness.” Looker nodded gravely. “That you even lived is a feat in itself, for this team is known for their brutality. It must be difficult to understand everything so quickly, so do not come to your decision lightly.”

“If it means them never hurting people or Pokémon ever again…I suppose I can’t refuse an offer like that. There’s just one thing…” Hop paused. “My bro, he’s gonna freak out and insist on tagging along if he finds out I’m leaving, well, this world.” He gestured around the area with his hands.

This time, Anabel and Looker did turn to each other and whispered quietly to one another. Hop could catch snippets of “yes, chief” and “more help”. They reached an agreement and returned their attention back to him. Looker addressed him first.

“The Chief and I have decided that since your older brother is also an esteemed Champion, we would more than glad if he decided to help us too. Will you inform him of our proposal?”

Hop nodded and excused himself from the table to make a quick phone call. From behind, they watched his shoulders bunch up during a likely outburst from said worried brother, and then relax again when he laid out the details. Hop nodded a couple of times and gave a short farewell before ending the call and putting his Rotom phone away.

“Lee’s on board too,” Hop said, “I have one question though. How do we travel to other worlds if we don’t have the same technology that Team Rainbow Rocket has? And…how _did_ you two get here in the first place?” Looker laughed.

“That is one too many questions, young Hop, but I believe an acquaintance and fellow member of ours can answer that.” A beep came from Looker’s brown trench coat pocket. “Oh, I believe she is already here!”

A girl no older than sixteen opened the door to the lab and walked in. She fiddled with the straps on her hibiscus-printed orange sleeveless shirt that belonged in a warmer tropical climate rather than Galar’s colder temperatures. She waved to Anabel and Looker and smiled sweetly at Hop.

“Hop, this is Selene from Alola, who moved from Kanto five years ago. She too held the Champion title,” said Anabel. Selene curtsied to him.

“A pleasure to meet you, Hop.” Hop bowed in a rush, hoping to match her etiquette. “I joined Miss Anabel and Mr. Looker a few years ago.”

“She has an extraordinary Pokémon, one that can help us in our mission. Selene, if you would.” Anabel gestured to the young lady with a hand palm-side up. Selene took out a Pokéball and lightly tossed it.

From the tiny container emerged a proud, regal lion whose head was inches below the ceiling. Its white mane streaked in yellow and orange tips, resembling the bloom of a daisy or sunflower, rippled as it moved to sit on its haunches.

Hop had to crane his head all the way back to see the lion’s sunny blue orbs looking down at him. His mouth dropped open.

“This is Solgaleo,” said Selene, patting its smooth fur, “they were traditionally the protector of the Alola region, but agreed to assist the Interdimensional Police. Isn’t that right, Mittens?” She cooed at the giant oversized kitty, who purred and licked her cheek.

“A magnificent Pokémon, are they not? We believe that they may have originated from another world altogether, which explains why Solgaleo can create Ultra Wormholes to hop dimensions,” said Looker.

Hop inched closer, carefully watching the lion’s reaction. He held an outstretched hand out. It bent low to sniff it, a puff of air brushing against the limb, and nuzzled it. Hop petted its mane, trepidation melting away.

“Amazing...where do we even start? Where do we go first?”

Selene smiled and tipped the brim of her sunny-yellow pork pie hat down.

“Have you ever been to Unova?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! Once again, thank you to everyone who took the time to read all of this!
> 
> This might turn into a series where rookie cop/detective Hop, ft. Leon, busts bad guys, but I dunno.


End file.
